El Peru
This was my first time outside Europe. Everything I could image was about misterious inca traditions and latin people energy. I’d never tought colonization could rob till this point people of their identity. Whit these photos I tried to describe not olny a Peru dressed for tourists and spanish culture, but the truth, the life of this wonderfull people.
Maras salt mines are one of the most particular places I've ever seen. Hundreds of salt ponds where water evaporate and salt is extracted. Nowadays people continues gaining from it.
Military carreer it's very important in Peru society, both in money and patriotism. Ramón Castilla is one of the military colleges in the country. On the school wall it's written very big "SER CASTILLISTA ES SER LIDER".
Distances become very short... a many hours trip it's normality. You can travel on desert streets with amazing landscapes and no people. Sometimes it's very rare to meet someone.
Landfills are just open places where they put garbage, people work there, searching for plastic, glass and other materials to sell for recycling, they don't gain a lot. When I arrived to the Trujillo landfill I saw a sea of pigs, one of them was eating a plastic glove.
Firemen are all volunteers. A peru friend told me that they are volunteers also when they die.
Ballestas Islands are considered the Galapagos of Peru. There are seals, sea lions, penguins and cormorants. You can watch them only from the boat staying at indicated distance.
Children eyes are so big that you can see an entire world inside. I'm asking myself if they can see more than us.
Catholic religion is part of everyone's life. They pray before eat, they do the sign of the cross passing in front of a church. It's the state religion.
The average salary for a policeman is 160 dollars. Corruption is everywhere. We never had a fine but we had to pay a lot of policemen. One day I was walking looking for a pharmacy, I asked to a policeman where there was one and at the end I had to give him money for the information.
I clearly remember three images about children. When they go to school and are all dressed the same: if you don't have the uniform you can't go to school, if you don't have the tracksuit you can't do gym. When they play football: they kick each other and kick balls on face, they change team on the fly, you can't stop them. And when they work: children work is part of the life, no-one cares about.
It's not only Machu Picchu to transmit force, but also natural landscapes that look like from another planet and suddenly can empty your mind and make you feel in full contact with earth like never before.
If dogs are everywhere cats are very rare. The feline was considered sacre in Inca and Pre Inca civilizations. Catholics, once arrived in Peru, replaced gods with their sacred images and they convinced Peru people that the cat was evil. Now people is scared of cats, also if time passed, and they forgot why. This kitty looks like aggressive but he was only trying to get down from the roof.
Pelican was considered sacre by Chimu people. He showed them where to catch fishes. I only saw them on the beach, feed by people. The big beak was in that situation more like a problem than something useful.
For me the most interesting moment of Inti Raymi was when it ended. Tourists left the bleachers, luxury 80 dollars asientos were occupied by Peru people and the rural communities dances began.
Location Perù Typology Reportage