Jessica Matute Quintero was born in Valle Hermoso, in the province of Santo Domingo de los Tsa ́chilas. She is an Indigenous Tsa’chila montubia (someone from the countryside of coastal Ecuador). She is an activist, a human rights defender, and a photographer of the Tsa’chila ancestral culture. At age 20, she began working at the Regional Human Rights Advisory Foundation, known by its Spanish acronym, INREDH. Witnessing scenes of inequality, she sensed a need to take photographs of the expressions on people’s faces and learned how a photo of one person can impact and deeply touch others. She believes that Indigenous peoples and nations as well as Afro-Ecuadorians have a great history to share with the world.
