Maras

• Photographer
  Sylvia De La Jara
• Technical Info
  Nikon D800, F/9, 1/160 Sec
• Photo Date
  2024

The salt pans of Maras, located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Cusco, Peru, are a set of salt evaporation terraces dating back to pre-Inca times. These terraces, known as “pozas”, are filled with salt water from a subway spring. Each poza is owned by a local family, which follows traditional methods to extract the salt, maintaining a delicate balance between nature and agriculture.

Sylvia De la Jara is an award-winning Peruvian photographer based in Lima. De la Jara transitioned from a solid career in multinational companies to pursue her passion for photography, as a means of expressing her emotional universe. Studying photography at Centro de la Imagen, Lima in 2008 and completing the Low Residency Program at the International Centre of Photography in New York in 2017, De la Jara’s work is a deeply personal response to the world, yet it explores universal aspects of humanity.