Photojournalism: San Antonio de Oriente

Between 1950 and 1980 renowned primitivist artist, José Antonio Velásquez lived and painted scenes of idyllic rural life in the mountains of San Antonio de Oriente, Honduras. Since his death in 1983, and despite the acclaim of his artwork, this village remains largely unvisited by outsiders.

A shift within Honduras from a rural to an urban economy has led families to leave their rural homes for the promise of work in the city. An estimated sixty homes have been abandoned in San Antonio de Oriente. The thirty families who remain struggle to hold on to a rural identity and culture often celebrated, but slowly vanishing throughout Honduras.