A painting of the Holy Black Family hangs in front of one of the oldest houses in Quinamayó, made of wattle and daub, on March 14, 2021. This was the main setting for a Christmas television program, when COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were still in place and large crowds were not allowed.

(From left to right) Luz Nelly Balanta, 58, Mirna Rodríguez, 58, and Luciala Balanta Peña, 57, are among the women who lead the organization of Christmas celebrations in Quinamayó. In the photo, they wait their turn to participate in a television recording of the event on March 14, 2021.

Sarahy Andrea Peña, 17, is one of the three godparents of the Black Baby Jesus, a role designated to hold the figure of the Messiah during the Christmas processions. Peña poses for a portrait in front of one of the oldest houses in Quinamayó, on March 14, 2021. Her dress references the ‘Quinceañera’ celebration, a tradition in Latin American countries such as Cuba, Colombia, and Mexico, marking a woman's transition into adulthood at the age of 15.

A woman raises the figure of the Black Baby Jesus in Quinamayó, on March 14, 2021. Some of the Catholic symbols in the town feature Afro-descendant traits to help the community feel a deeper connection to them.

idwife María Dey Bejarano performs a series of massages on 23-year-old Leidy Catalina Camacho, while her granddaughter Briana Sofía (on the far left) and Simón, Leidy's first-born, observe the procedure, on March 13, 2021. María Dey, who has assisted in over 120 births in Quinamayó, is the last traditional midwife in the town. The arrival of the Black Baby Jesus is as cherished as the birth of a new child for a mother.

Brayan Alexander Carabalí plays an alto trombone during the Yellow Beach Festival, a village celebration on the banks of the Cauca River in Quinamayó, of August 7, 2024, a holiday dedicated to family in the town. The Cauca River was used by their ancestors to establish their community after fleeing from slavery. The music played by Carabalí is the Juga or Fuga ("escape"), a traditional Afro-Colombian rhythm that celebrates their people's freedom.

Girls playing the role of Angels wait for their turn to join the Christmas procession in Quinamayó, on February 18, 2023. The parade features at least seven stations, each with biblical characters, musicians, and "cantaoras" (female singers).

A woman prays the rosary during Mass at St. Martha of Bethany Parish in Quinamayó, on March 2, 2023. Although Evangelical beliefs have gained strength in the town, the majority of the 6,000 inhabitants are Catholic.

José Eider Mancilla, sacristan at St. Martha of Bethany Parish, poses for a portrait while holding a manual for the Catholic funeral ritual on the outskirts of Quinamayó, on July 16, 2022. "The celebration of the worship of the Black Baby Jesus is a fundamental part of our community and lives within each of us. That’s why we have the mission of preserving this tradition for future generations," says Mancilla.

Melissa Mosquera, representative of Sixto María Rojas School, poses for a portrait inside a friend's house in Quinamayó, on June 1, 2022. "I want to fight for my community, to preserve our racial and cultural identity, just as my grandmother and her ancestors did—not for people to remember me, but for all of us," Mosquera says.

The "cantaora" Mónica Carabalí recites a loa —a poetic expression common in some Afro-Colombian communities— during the Christmas procession in Quinamayó on February 18, 2023. Carabalí recites: "As the youngest, I ask my savior (Jesus) to bless us with his right hand."

The three godparents of the Black Baby Jesus hold a figure of the Black Baby Jesus in a basket during the procession on the second day of Quinamayó's Christmas, on February 17, 2024.

Girls portraying "Angels" and "Las Indias" (indigenous women) participate in the Christmas procession in Quinamayó on February 18, 2023. In Catholic belief, angels are considered messengers of God. For the people of Quinamayó, "Las Indias" serve as an homage to the indigenous communities in the region.

Heiber Fajardo, 53, enjoys the fireworks that mark the end of the second day of Quinamayó's celebrations on February 29, 2020.