Following the shepherd

Many of Chile’s indigenous people live in poverty and marginalization. The MDG-F is working to improve their acceptance into and relations with mainstream society through initiatives, like "MuchoChile", which teach Chileans about the value of diversity. This image was submitted to a photography contest held by MuchoChile entitled "Where We Come From."


“This moment was captured in the Archipelago of Chiloé in sourthern Chile. The image transports you to a place where you feel the biblical miracle of Jesus moving the masses, regardless of your own beliefs, and we see in it a sea of diverse people united by a purpose. The small local population is multiplied by tenfold every year on August 30 and the third Sunday in January, where thousands of pilgrims come to participate in a procession dating from the early 18th century. Many say that this statue was brought to the island from Spain as a way of unifiying the people of nearby islands. Today, it serves as a common memory for the people and a bond between generations from different parts of the world. Preceding the pilgrimage, there is a procession of flags from the surrounding islands that fly alongside the national emblem. People from nearby communtiies bring their own statues of the Virgin and of local saints and walk them in the procession alongside Jesus, accompanied by guitars, drums and accordions.”


Christopher Martinez Ernes Hillmer (born 1975), Puerto Montt