Culture and Portraits of Peru and Andes
Huatia Preperation
Calca Downhill
My buddies enjoying some of the amazing ancient trails through the canyons from Abra de Lares down to the town of Calca.
Faces of the Markets
Market, Market, Duck!
Busy Cusco Market
Down The Market Line
Woman at the Huaraz market share some laughs and chat to pass the time along the streets of Huaraz at the central market.
Acculturating Gaze
It's a great mistake, I think, to put children off with falsehoods and nonsense, when their growing powers of observation and discrimination excite in them a desire to know about things. -Anne Sullivan
A young girl in the Peruvian Andes watches tourists snagging "maybe" alpaca sweaters, chullos (Peruvian beanie hat), bufandas (scarves) and handicrafts. Her powerful gaze suggests an almost anthropological study of the "gringos." How is her mind processing it all? How is she learning to normalize the consumerism or the convoluted tactics of the sale and haggling of prices? Will she attend school...or will her parents use her as a cute face to sell goods, and she will gradually fall behind the curve educationally and be forced to panhandle trinkets when she gets older?
I struggle with consumerism aspects in Peru (and with travel in general). On one hand it provides income to people who would have limited opportunities to make money, but it can also hold them back. Often, I see tourists experiencing Peruvians lives as if they are a museum exhibit and buying things without engaging in the culture, and I see the Peruvians looking at foreigners as merely $ signs. Machu Picchu is a bucket list item...where people go in droves to take selfies and exclaim on social media "I was there"...without learning anything about the spirit of the place. I have no panacea, but I believe the beauty of travel is grounded in observing and engaging with cultures and landscapes. Dig deeper. When I captured this photo...these are just a few of the thoughts that had my neurons firing. Travel is what you make it. Whether it be in your own town or halfway across the world...remember to be aware of your actions and how we interact with people and places.
Salt of The Earth Aunt
Market Vendor Days
Long days sitting at the market in Cusco selling produce.
Kick the bottle
Kiddos play soccer with an old plastic coke bottle. Plenty of laughter and fun. You don't need much to enjoy yourself.
Street Food
Peruvian Flag Faces
Hollywood
This guy looks straight out of Hollywood. He wanted to hold the guns as the Peruvian army readied to march in downtown Cusco.
Stand Tall
Viva Peru!
They Peruvian army with painted faces of the Peruvian flag mark on the streets of Cusco yelling Viva Peru!
Before the Dance
Mining Life
A kiddo in the remote Camino del Oro deep in the Bolivian jungle is put to work retrieving a wheelbarrow for his father who has setup an illegal mining camp on the side of the river.
Gazing
A young girl takes a break from dancing in the parade.
Daily Chats
Conversations in the Plaza De Armas.
