Albertina (78) is the matriarch of San Miguel (Arica, Chile), a town built over indigenous burial grounds. She carries the responsibility of mediating between the community and the Ño, a ragdoll that is venerated during Carnival week and which represents the earth’s creative and destructive forces.

Albertina’s death shakes the town to its core, with her family feeling the impact the most. Now guideless, they will have to fulfill the traditions that she instilled upon them in order to ensure balance between the living and the dead.