I am a college student born and raised in the United States. In August 2016, I arrived in Mendoza, Argentina for a semester abroad where I first learned about the Huarpe community and their struggles around water. The problem interested me because of parallels I saw in my own country, The Dakota Access Pipeline being one well-known example. As I attempted to learn more about their situation I found a lack personal testimonies from Huarpe individuals in news sources and scholarly articles. I asked friends and acquaintances from Mendoza in an attempt to learn more about the community and discovered those living in Mendoza, only an hours drive from the community, were affected by the lack of information as well.
After returning to the United States, I applied for a grant to go back to Argentina. I arrived in Mendoza in January of 2018 and was greeted by the friends and family I had made during my semester abroad. Through the openness and generosity of those I had met with while I had lived in Mendoza, as well as many individuals I met during my research trip, I was able to connect with members of the Huarpe community.
Before departing for Mendoza, I put together a questionnaire to spark conversation with interviewees and found they were eager to share their experiences and perspectives. During my interview process, I explained who I am, what my project is, and how I became interested, before asking for consent to share their stories on my website. I recorded interviews and relistened to them while creating this site.