The Scavengers, Images from the Managua Municipal Trash Dump

Introduction

The first time I entered La Chureca I was overcome with grief. I thought I had stepped into hell as only described in The Inferno. My eyes burned from the smoke rising from fires and eruptions of the trash, my stomach churned with the fetid water and my skin baked in the hot Managua sun.

La Chureca, meaning the scavengers and the slang name for the Managua Municipal trash dump, lies within the beautiful, poverty-stricken country of Nicaragua. There are over 175 families living in the dump that spans over 150 acres. The “Churequeros” sift through the more than 1200 tons of trash received daily, collecting, sorting and selling recyclables, making less than $2.00 a day. The over 40-year-old area is plagued with disease, prostitution and drug abuse due to the extreme poverty, constant burning trash and dumping of all medical waste. Chronic malnutrition also bedevils the people of La Chureca.

In the midst of such a harrowing place, one might think that the people of La Chureca are hard as a product of their surroundings. My experience with them was much different. As I photographed the area, I worked to make sure that I was trying to be a part of their lives and not just exploiting them. I watched as trash was delivered and sifted through, I walked through the medical waste and I visited the homes of the Churequeros. The workers were kind, generous and willing to share their lives with me. Leading me to a recurring philosophy: people are only searching for love.