El árbol que llora (The Crying Tree) is the culminating chapter of my project, Mi país imaginado (My Imagined Country)
Between 1879 and 1912, the Peruvian Amazon suffered a horrific period of rubber extraction, often called "ethnocide" or "genocide." Over 40,000 Indigenous lives were tragically lost due to the Peruvian Amazon Company, a dark chapter often erased from official history. This company, funded by British money and led by Julio César Arana, subjected people in the Putumayo River region to brutal mistreatment, starvation, torture, and murder—all to fuel the growing demand for automobiles and other rubber products.
To shine a light on this hidden history, I've taken a children's textbook from 1919, "Rubber, a Wonder Story," (a propaganda piece by the United States Rubber Company that romanticized the industry) and laid historical documents over its pages. This work, El árbol que llora invites viewers to confront our complex past and the lasting impact of unchecked corporate greed.
© 2026 Claudia Ruiz Gustafson . All rights reserved
