"Uma"
From the Aymara cosmovision, the water "Uma" is a living being a sacred being therefore it must be cared for, nurtured, protected, and treated with respect, water is what keeps us in harmony and in movement with the cosmos, it runs through which entrails that nourish and hydrate this living and natural body that we call Pachamama, (Mother Earth in Aymara) as being the lagoons, considered as -protective mothers- "Mama Qutas" that generate life since they are full of positive energy that represents the blood of nature. The community members coexist with them and invoke them for the care of the earth and the beings.
Water being a sacred being for the Andean world is also thanked with "Wajtas" offerings commonly called "tables" for the Pachamama (Mother Earth) with which she is thanked for the rain in times of drought and for not sending hail.
What is water really for us, beyond a water resource that ensures life and food production? Do we have another kind of relationship with it or do we only see it as a vital liquid for consumption? In this project, I try to open my senses to explore the vast symbolism that water has in our daily lives and the practices that shape our relationship with all the forms and states in which this vital element manifests, emanates, transforms, and disappears.
