He works at the Punta del Agua ranch, 400.000ha surface area, located south of the national Route 150.
In the region of Coquimbo around 6.500 inhabitants work as goat farmers.
Owners and caretakers of their own cattle, these people primarily make cheese, some are farmers and others are miners.
Heirs of ancestral wisdom, transmitted from generation to generation regarding the practice of transhumant shepherding and agriculture, distinctively belonging to this semi-arid landscape.
Women play a very important role in the goat breeding trade in Chile. Most of them, carrying their children on their backs, go with the men to the mountains and work from sunrise to sunset in the production and sale of cheese.
In spite of his tough life story, Juan Gustavo works with his brother, who he refers to as his partner. Together, they herd 300 goats.
For decades, shepherd families have survived without official help, sustaining a regime based in the production of their food and bartering.
Partiicpating in the Fiesta Provincial de Los Valles y Cumbres Iglesianos, a traditional event in the area.
Historically, the gauchos were the wandering habitants of the Pampas who travelled with no particular destination on their horses. They traditionally carried slings, ponchos, lassos, knives, yerba, salt and tobacco as their only baggage.
Photography | Portrait