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Image / Portrait of a child, Tunjuelito, Colombia, 1977

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Title
Portrait of a child, Tunjuelito, Colombia, 1977
Creator
Cross, Richard, 1950-1983
Date Created and/or Issued
1977-12-20
Publication Information
California State University, Northridge
Contributing Institution
California State University, Northridge
Collection
Richard Cross Photographs (Bradley Center)
Rights Information
Use of images from the collections of the Tom & Ethel Bradley Center is strictly prohibited by law without prior written consent from the copyright holders. The responsibility for the use of these materials rests exclusively with the user.
The Bradley Center may assist in obtaining copyright/licensing permission to use images from the Richard Cross collection. http://www.csun.edu/bradley-center/contact
Description
Portrait of a young boy. He has short hair and a dark, long-sleeved shirt. He is looking up and smiling. The image was captured during Christmas festivities in Tunjuelito, the sixth locality of Bogotá, Colombia's capital city. The area that now comprises Tunjuelito was slowly populated and developed in the second half of the twentieth century by residents from the countryside who migrated to the area as lessees, later buying the land, with much effort. They, however, had no access to services like water or electricity, obstaining those over time through their efforts. Tunjuelito is characterized by its modest homes, whose fronts were built with marble, granite, stone, or tile, materials left over from jobs completed by the residents, many whom were construction workers. On December 17, 1954, Tunjuelito formally became the sixth locatlity of Bogotá and is home to the El Tunal-Gabriel García Márquez Public Library. The word "Tunjuelito" originates from the Chibcha language, which is now extinct and was spoken by the Indigenous peoples of the Muisca Confederation.
Retrato de un niño. Él tiene cabello corto y camiseta de manga larga. La imagen fue tomada durante las festividades navideñas de Tunjuelito, la sexta localidad de Bogotá, la capital colombiana. Él mira hacia arriba y sonrie. El área que es ahora Tunjuelito fue poblada y desarrollada durante la segunda mitad del siglo veinte por residentes que migraron del campo como arrendatarios, comprando luego terrenos con mucho esfuerzo. Desafortunadamente, los pobladores no tuvieron acceso a servicios municipales como electricidad o agua, obtuviendo eso y otros servicios con el paso del tiempo y por su propio esfuerzo. Tunjuelito se caracteriza por sus modestas casas, las cuales fueron construidas con frentes de mármol, granito, piedra o piso de cocina, pues muchos de los dueños eran albañiles que aprovechaban el material sobrado de una obra. El 17 de diciembre de 1954, Tunjuelito se convirtió formalmente en barrio de Bogotá y es donde se ubica la Biblioteca Pública El Tunal-Gabriel García Márquez. La palabra "Tunjuelito" es el diminutivo de la palabra "Tunjo", la cual se refiere a una representación antropomorfa hecha de oro. La palabra origina del lenguaje chibcha, el cual está ya extincto y era hablado por los indígenas de la confederación muisca.
Type
image
Format
Photographs
image/jpeg
Black-and-white negatives
Extent
35 mm
Identifier
99.01.RCr.N35.B17.03.11.23
http://digital-collections.csun.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p17169coll1/id/6555
Subject
Children
Portraits
Place
Bogotá (Colombia)
Relation
99.01.RCr.N35.B17.03.11.23.tif
Richard Cross Photographs
California State University Northridge. University Library. Special Collections & Archives. Tom & Ethel Bradley Center

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