Interior

The ambition for a better life, far from the economical hardship associated with subsistence agriculture in the Center region of Portugal has caused a rural exodus that's been going on for more than 50 years.

Better education, access to services and employment drove the new generations closer to the metropolitan areas, leaving behind an impoverished and aged population.

The landscape faces abandonment while its last inhabitants struggle to keep the region's collective memory intact.

© Ricardo Lopes - José Henrique, 51, Coimbra, Portugal, December 20, 2018.
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José Henrique, 51, Coimbra, Portugal, December 20, 2018.

© Ricardo Lopes - Maria da Silva, 93, Leiria, Portugal, December 23, 2018.
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Maria da Silva, 93, Leiria, Portugal, December 23, 2018.

© Ricardo Lopes - Gerardo Rodrigues Gonçalves, 86, with his son, José Gonçalves, 56, Leiria, Portugal, January 10, 2019.
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Gerardo Rodrigues Gonçalves, 86, with his son, José Gonçalves, 56, Leiria, Portugal, January 10, 2019.

© Ricardo Lopes - Simões Armindo, 80, Coimbra, Portugal, December 17, 2018.
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Simões Armindo, 80, Coimbra, Portugal, December 17, 2018.

© Ricardo Lopes - Maria da Piedade, 90, with her daughter, Maria Olaia Dias, 61, Leiria, Portugal, January 13, 2019.
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Maria da Piedade, 90, with her daughter, Maria Olaia Dias, 61, Leiria, Portugal, January 13, 2019.

© Ricardo Lopes - Maria Ferreira, 81, Leiria, Portugal, December 28, 2018.
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Maria Ferreira, 81, Leiria, Portugal, December 28, 2018.

Interior by Ricardo Lopes

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