The Mennonites of Bolivia
This insular agricultural community just wants to be left alone... in the tropical jungles of South America
Selling milk and cheese are among the most important sources of income for Mennonites in Bolivia.
(Image credit: (Jordi Ruiz Cirera)Mennonites are a reclusive and insular sect of Christians who don't participate in politics or much of contemporary society, eschewing modern conveniences like electricity)
On Sundays, adults gather at church while kids remain at home.
(Image credit: (Jordi Ruiz Cirera)The Bolivian Mennonites, known as Los Menonos, migrated to the region about 50 years ago. Today, the once-desolate area is populated by about 70,000 people spread across 75)
A burial for a young woman and her baby who died in a car crash. Mennonites in this community don't drive, but they are allowed to ride as passengers.
(Image credit: (Jordi Ruiz Cirera))
Cooperative shop at Swift Current Colony. The shop sells everything from tinned food to fabric.
(Image credit: (Jordi Ruiz Cirera))
As driving cars is forbidden for Mennonites, a horse and buggy is the usual transport.
(Image credit: (Jordi Ruiz Cirera))
Dinner at Dyck's house. With no birth control, Mennonite families are big, with an average of 10 kids per family, and sometimes as many as 19 children from the same woman.
(Image credit: (Jordi Ruiz Cirera))
Farm toys at the Belice Colony.
(Image credit: (Jordi Ruiz Cirera))
Although using electricity at home is forbidden, some exceptions for work are made, with fuel engines producing the necessary electricity to run different machines at the workshop.
(Image credit: (Jordi Ruiz Cirera))
A woman drawing patterns to sew family outfits at the Milagrosa Colony.
(Image credit: (Jordi Ruiz Cirera))
With their own education system, Mennonites attend school six months a year, from the age of 6 to 12.
(Image credit: (Jordi Ruiz Cirera)**To see more from this story and others by Jordi Ruiz Cirera, check out his website and Instagram. Cirera's book on the project, Los Menonos, is also available.**)