Josefina MatasValeria MoscosoMonica NaviaUniversidad Catolica Boliviana San Pablo, BolivaMonica Navia2026-03-222026-03-22202310.23854/autoc.v7i1.294https://doi.org/10.23854/autoc.v7i1.294https://andeanlibrary.org/handle/123456789/73062Historical, anthropological and aesthetic approaches permeate the numerous entries that analyze photographic projects of the 19th century. This article focuses on a small number of photographs, part of a project to disseminate the evangelizing labour of the Franciscan missions in the Bolivian Chaco, under the direction of Doroteo Giannecchini and the photographic work of Vincenzo de Mascio. It explores new meanings of the photographic image, from a hermeneutical approach underscoring the power of images; assuming their polysemic nature to broaden the understanding of the visual dimension of Giannecchini’s missionary project.esArtHumanitiesarticle