MARISOL AND LUKA, BOLIVIA

Marisol, eleven years old when photographed, is the daughter of Florentino and Ilaria Godoy, whose history is told to the left. By coincidence, Lucio Vela, also prominently featured in this series, is Marisol’s godfather. He set aside some of the money he earned on this shoot to help pay for Marisol’s education. This was so good of him, especially because we all think that Marisol is exceptionally smart and engaged.

Luca, just a few months old in this photo, was confiscated from a market in Cochabamba, only a few weeks before this photograph.

Locally known as lucachi, and as titis, there are many species of lucachis in Bolivia. Like other species of monkeys, the mother is killed and the babies taken out of the wild to be commercially sold as pets. And like all the other South American primates, deforestation and loss of habitat are profound threats to the survival of the titi monkey. As everything from illegal coca farms to coffee plantations replace forests, it’s not just a one-time de-struction, but the increasing human population’s need for further wood for building and fuel. Hunting is also a threat to titis, mostly for subsistence, to the degree that some populations have become extinct.