Friends and relatives gather at the funeral of Juan Pablo Pernalete, a student killed during an antigovernment protest in Caracas.
Venezuela was once one of Latin America’s most prosperous countries, but plummeting oil prices, government mismanagement and rampant corruption have sent the nation of 31 million people teetering toward chaos. In the capital, Caracas, the tragedy that is modern Venezuela is playing out everywhere — from graveyards to shantytowns, from the halls of government to streets teeming with angry protesters. Photojournalist Oscar B. Castillo, born and raised in Caracas, spent five days capturing these images of his hometown.
Oscar B. Castillo For The Times
TEAR GAS forms a smoky backdrop to the daily clashes between protesters and security forces.
A MOTHER talks to her son after he recited some words for supporters of Maduro. The boy is dressed as Simon Bolivar, the hero of independence for Venezuela and an inspiration for late President Hugo Chavez’s “Bolivarian revolution.”
EUCLIDES FARIAS, at his shantytown home in Caracas’ El Valle area, has undergone two recent surgeries because of an intestinal infection. His family has been unable to find antibiotics amid a medicine shortage, slowing his recovery.
A VENEZUELAN f lag waves in Caracas’ Altamira neighborhood, a stronghold of government opposition. The f lag is a common sight at demonstrations by both antigovernment protesters and supporters of President Nicolas Maduro.
A WORKER prepares for the burial of Juan Pablo Pernalete. Shortly before he was killed during a protest, Pernalete tweeted: “Sometimes one wins, sometimes one loses, but this time I am not disposed to lose. I LOVE YOU, VENEZUELA.”
A PROTESTER from Caracas’ La Urbina neighborhood tests a lighter he’ll use to ignite Molotov cocktails. Protests against the government take place almost daily.
A CHILD in the arms of her mother, who was selling ice cream at a pro-government rally.
A YOUNG female protester pauses for a portrait amid clashes in Caracas’ east side.