Jaume Riba Captures Andorra's Vanishing Mountain Life in 'Temps d'hereus'

Jaume Riba, a renowned Andorran photographer, has captured the essence of the country's vanishing traditional life through his acclaimed book *Temps d'hereus*. The volume portrays the last generation of mountain dwellers who lived in harmony with Andorra's rugged landscapes before modernity reshaped them.

Riba's images evoke an aesthetic nostalgia for this lost era, though he stresses it is not a rejection of progress. "It's clear we had to improve," he notes, "but we've lost the balance between human society and the space it occupies." The project, developed over years of patient immersion, involved spending entire days with his subjects before capturing their portraits as they returned to their world. Each photograph seems to hold the sediment of a lifetime—and of a nation at a crossroads.

His deep connection to Andorra began in 1974, shortly after completing studies in civil engineering in Toulouse and natural risks and mountain organisation with Paris-Nanterre University. Tasked by Bonaventura Adellach to map the country's toponyms, Riba traversed every corner on foot, guided by locals. Without mobiles or GPS, he recorded place names with a tape recorder, anchoring them precisely on new maps. This formative experience fostered lifelong bonds with the people who became subjects in *Temps d'hereus*.

Riba's work has reached global audiences. A Chinese acupuncturist in Barcelona recognised him from *Cercatemps*, a gift from Spain's ambassador to China—likely Eugeni Bregolat, later ambassador to Andorra. Businessman Marc Forné reportedly distributed another of Riba's books to world leaders, showcasing Andorra's beauty worldwide.

A lover of mountains, travel and open spaces, Riba prioritises community wellbeing and humanistic values. Rejecting desk-bound work, he co-founded Àmbit, a landmark Erts nightclub with Toni Molné and Pere Plasencia. Open to all for a decade, it became a hub of freedom and nonconformity, especially for newcomers. "The door was always open to everyone," he recalls.

Elected as a Conseller General, Riba found institutional politics unfulfilling and turned to photography as a form of activism. His images promote conservation, revealing not just bucolic scenes but the geological processes shaping Andorra's terrain. Collaborators like Dúnia Ambatlle have contributed texts to his books, including work on Arcalís ski resort, where he helped define its solar horizon over eight years.

Riba's photographs graced international travel magazines, editorials and Andorran institutions. They dominated the country's promotional posters—snowy peaks and Romanesque churches—that shaped both global perceptions and a collective Andorran identity. Today, he warns, rapid growth risks Andorra's unique vulnerability: "We've wanted to grow too fast and lost things. We must never forget we're a historical miracle."