Photo of the Day
mangrove trees in Cayapas Mataje Mangrove Reserve in northwestern Ecuador
March 4, 2015
Mixed Roots
The mangroves of the Cayapas Mataje Mangrove Reserve in northwestern Ecuador are the tallest in the world. The area is home to many Afro-Ecuadorian communities who rely on gathering black cockles that can be found in the mud of the mangroves and sold as a culinary delicacy. Picking shells is a tremendously arduous task, as concheros have to crouch down for hours in knee-deep mud.
See more images from Felipe Jacome’s photo essay, “Lord of the Mangroves,” on Proof.
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