Batea

Look at the batea,
how it moves,
how the water moves in the batea

The batea, representative of a craft trade that has become the main source of income in the Chocó, struggles to survive state abandonment, attacks by armed groups and the establishment of mechanized and large-scale mining companies. The batea is a sign of the resistance of Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities that fight for their territories. In the Colombian Pacific, batea, people and river are connected through an ancestral activity that today is known as artisanal mining.

Batea: Testimonials

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The waters of the Chocó rivers have traditionally bathed the batea. It enters into the water, collects the sand from the river and, as if it were dancing, it moves in a circular way, seeking to keep the gold or the platinum deposites. Although since the twentieth century the batea has fought a battle against the tools and backhoes of large-scale mechanized mining, its work remains the livelihood of thousands of Afro-Colombian and indigenous families.