Luzmila Carpio

At eleven, Bolivian singer and songwriter Luzmila Carpio traveled to Oruro to audition for a singing radio show, where she was met with the pianist’s shouts of ‘this is what Indians sing - come back when you know how to sing in Spanish!’. Despite this, highlands-hailing Carpio grew to be one of the most influential artistic and spiritual ambassadors of the Quechua and Aymara peoples. Her singing - in Spanish and the indigenous language Quechua - is a vessel for her ancestors’ spiritual wisdom, which she continues to generously share with her compatriots and fans around the world.

Photography by Nora Lezano