Life in Europe’s Largest Shanty Town, the Cañada Real—as Photographed by Its Children
Carlos Gutierrez was “excited and nervous” about what he would see as he developed the films taken by children living in Europe’s largest shanty town, the Cañada Real.
Last summer, 39 children were given disposable cameras and asked to document their lives. What emerged in the darkroom was something very special: “I found the real Cañada Real,” said Gutierrez, smiling like he’d discovered a hidden world—which he had.
The Cañada Real (loosely translated as “Royal Cattle Trail”) is an unofficial 16 km linear settlement outside Madrid dating back more than half a century. People have been moving to this ancient cattle trail for generations, building their own homes and raising families. The settlement winds its way around the outskirts of the city (parallel to the M-50 motorway) and is today home to around 7,300 people, a third of whom are children.