In the highlands of western Guatemala, in an area affected by deforestation, a man cuts firewood for cooking. Image by Mauricio Lima. Guatemala, 2019.
In the highlands of western Guatemala, in an area affected by deforestation, a man cuts firewood for cooking. Image by Mauricio Lima. Guatemala, 2019.

Jonathan Blitzer, a staff writer at The New Yorker, and Mauricio Lima, a documentary photographer, traveled to the western highlands of the Guatemala to explore some of the causes driving historic levels of migration from the region. One area of interest was climate change; other factors were more cultural and economic, including the role of U.S.-based remittances and cycles of debt.