Patagonia, La Última Esperanza

Runner-up, International Photography Awards, Lucie Foundation, 2012

In this spectacular collection of panoramic images, award-winning photographer Macduff Everton proves why Chile’s Last Hope Province, in the extreme southern corner of Patagonia, is a landscape that kindles the dreams of world travelers. Patagonia, La Última Esperanza is a collaboration with writer and artist Mary Heebner, whose meditative prose reflects the poetry of place. Just as her observations seek to unearth and understand the spirit of the region, her paintings, watercolors, and drawings evocatively counterpoint Everton’s photographs of iconic mountains and glacier-lined fjords. Together they provide a unique perspective on this vast, still mysterious territory and the lives of the people who have made a home here at the tip of the South American continent.

While visitors rush to the landmark peaks of UNESCO-designated Torres del Paine National Park or the wonders of Bernardo O’Higgins National Park, they too often miss equally gorgeous and accessible but less frequented areas. Everton and Heebner explore much more, from the shimmering ice fields and glassy lakes to the island mazes and expansive grasslands where you’re more likely to see condors than another person. They find the beauty and meaning in the fishermen’s harbors, the cowboys’ ranch labors, and the creations of visionary architects, whose stunning constructions mesh concern for the environment with the grandeur of the setting.

Patagonia, La Última Esperanza indelibly captures a place of unending superlatives—the most breathtaking mountain ranges, the most storied valleys, the most inspiring destination for readers and travelers alike.