As they tour the continent, the Esta Pasando project is taking us along for the ride to map out the diverse circus cultures of South America. In this article, Chilean circus scholar, writer, and photographer Maca Simonetti gives us the lay of the land in terms of Chile’s modern circus landscape, from history into the present—and how we can preserve it going forward.

It is like when you arrive at a gorgeous landscape. You stare. You are moved. You feel grateful. You might feel very small and ephemeral. You might feel very attuned to it. Then you might want to capture the sight and try to take a picture, or two, or many, and sadly realize there is no way to take this absoluteness home. Every frame is insufficient. Even if you try to take a panoramic video, there is always something missing. The smell, the breeze, the subtle dance of time whispering behind your neck. Therefore, you decide to compose a shot, to pick a view. You create your own version of the immeasurable. That version to which you can return, from time to time, to find all that was missing in the picture. ...