Friendship, Pilgrimage, and an Open Heart
Photographs and Reflections from the Peruvian Andes

Each pre-order includes a signed hardcover book and a signed photographic print.

It has been several years since I released a photographic book. I was waiting for the right intention. Over the past two years, my work has moved more deeply into documentary photography, filmmaking, and storytelling. Munayki brings that shift into print, combining a photojournalistic approach with personal reflection.

I made these photographs on 35mm film while traveling through Peru with the Tierra Amor community, from the streets of Cusco to the lakes and lands of Ausangate. Woven textiles, encounters in the streets, mountains at dawn, and moments of ceremony became part of a journey that continues to shape how I see and how I live.

Our pilgrimage was guided by Don Pascual Apaza Flores, Doña Santusa, José Luis Apaza Quispe, and my teachers Giselle Marzo Segura and Luis Gabriel Segura. Through their guidance, I began to understand how everything can become an offering. The care we bring to prayer can also guide how we make a photograph, care for another person, or carry out the simplest daily task.

The title draws on Munay-Ki, understood in its contemporary spiritual usage as the power of love, combining Quechua munay, associated with love and intention, with Japanese ki, meaning energy. For me, it expresses a commitment to move through the world with an open heart and to put that love into practice.

During the journey, Don Pascual entrusted me with a mesa, an altar containing kuyas, sacred stones. He instructed me to sit with them until I learned how to use them. That invitation to spend time, listen, and allow understanding to develop has stayed with me throughout the making of this book.

I have gathered and arranged these photographs with that same patience and care. Each image, reflection, and sequence has been considered with love and intention. Together, they hold moments I am still learning from. I hope you will take your time with them, too.

In her foreword, Samara Quintero reflects on our shared relationship with Pachamama, Mother Earth, and the responsibilities that come with belonging to her. She invites us to remember the importance of offerings, service, community, and the world we leave for future generations. Her words accompany the photographs as an invitation to look inward and consider how we show up for the life around us.

At the heart of Munayki is ayni, or reciprocity. Again and again, these photographs bring me back to the same questions. How do I give back to Pachamama and the communities that welcomed us? How do I honor the everyday moments that give me so much?

Pre-order now. Shipping is expected to begin December 1, 2026.

Books will be ordered from Blurb in batches as pre-orders come in. Once they arrive, I’ll personally sign each copy, prepare and sign the accompanying photographic print, and carefully package your order.

Orders will ship in the order received. December 1 is the estimated start of shipping. Delivery dates will vary by destination and printing turnaround.

Your pre-order includes

• A hardcover book signed by Nkosi Gomez

• A signed photographic print

• 56 Pages of photographs and personal reflections

• A foreword by Samara Quintero

• 8 × 10-inch portrait format

• Imagewrap hardcover

• Mohawk Superfine Eggshell paper

Thank you for supporting this book and giving these photographs a place in your home.