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Horizontes
Fotografía
Mi encuentro con el Perú
Yan-Di Chang
.Fui a Nueva York a estudiar mi doctorado y conocí a varios amigos peruanos. Después de tres años de haberlos conocido, tuve curiosidad de saber del país de donde venían. Después de haber bebido su agua y pisado sus suelos, siento que el Perú se ha convertido en una parte de mí, y por lo tanto, me siento atado a su destino . Cuando pienso en mis recorridos por el Perú, algunos temas que destacan son: la diversidad de su gente, la belleza del país, y la mezcla de lo viejo con lo nuevo. Sin embargo, lo que más me ha impresionado de mis amigos peruanos en Nueva York y durante mis encuentros en Perú es la sinceridad, y la conmovedora amistad de la gente. Mi amiga Rachel también comparte conmigo la misma sensación.
I had been asked to write something about my personal experiences in Peru by one of the editors. In December last year (2006) and January this year, I visited the country, and upon my return, posted some of my photos onto the internet to share with my family and friends. To my surprise, my Peruvian friends liked the photos despite my inexperience in photography, my shallow knowledge of the country, and the short duration of my visit.
I should recount a bit why I visited Peru in the first place. I had gone to New York City to pursue my graduate degree, and got to know quite a number of people from Peru at the university. In fact, Peruvians form the largest number of "foreigners" amongst my new friends (that is, apart from Americans who are natives to the country but foreigners to me, and my fellow countrymen from Taiwan ). After three years of acquaintance, I was curious to see the country they come from. I had not been to Central or South America except for an academic conference in Brazil many years ago, and was ignorant about Peru apart for the fact that it was the cradle of the ancient Inca civilization.
There is another reason why I am writing about Peru now. Having drank its water and trod its soils, I feel that Peru has become a part of me, and consequently, I am tied to its destiny. When I read about the magnitude 8.0 earthquake in the southern coastal region of Peru in mid August, my heart went out to the people there. Eight years ago, we also experienced a powerful earthquake in Taiwan . Although it was of a slightly lesser intensity, that earthquake claimed much more number of lives. Our home was near the epicenter, and we did not have water for a few days. During the week after the quake, I took part in the relief efforts in the disaster area. Therefore, I could relate to the sufferings of the victims of this recent calamity in Peru .
When I think of my travels in Peru , the few themes that stand out are: the diversity of its people, the beauty of the country, and the blending of old and new. However, the thing that struck me most with my Peruvian friends in New York and during my encounters in Peru is the sincerity, and heart-warming friendliness of the people. My friend Rachel who joined me from Taiwan in New York to Peru , also shares my feeling. In Lima , we had the fortune to spend Christmas with the family of two of our friends, and to be introduced to the city by them. Later, we traveled on our own with our very limited Spanish, but we had pleasant encounters with the local people everywhere we went.
The following is a selection of some of the photos I took in Peru . As I am not a professional photographer, I had a difficult time choosing the photographs to present here. Besides the quality of the picture, I tried to select those with various themes, or that have a story behind them. However, my choice is totally arbitrary. Photographs are snapshots of life - they are events frozen in time, and thus do not paint a holistic picture. Moreover, there are many things that happened that are not recorded in photographs. Yet, as the saying goes, "a picture paints a thousand words", so photographs are powerful because they express so vividly what transpired, and can contain a wealth of details.
Our first stop in Peru was its capital, Lima . I was amazed by the beautiful European architecture in the town center - not just the churches, but ordinary buildings painted in bright colors with ornate façades. Some of them have wooden doors, windows and balconies. Rachel said that the town squares, for example the Plaza de Armas in Lima , reminded her of Austria . I quite like the way Peru has blended its past with its present, and woven its colorful histories into modern-day life. An example is Lima 's Centro Park where the archeological sites have been preserved and accessible to the public (photo 1). Notice the Santa's cap on the lampposts, and the hill in the distance on the left hand side, which is the site of the shanty town, Pueblos Jovenes. Another example of the merging of different cultures is in Yanahuara, Arequipa , where we saw a cross with lots of Inca symbols (photo 2). Although our local guide explained the meanings of the various icons, I cannot recount them as I am unfamiliar with the Catholic religion. Perhaps some knowledgeable reader may be able to enlighten us here.
Most people around the world relate Peru with the Inca Empire, or in essence, Machu Picchu . Although I have seen very well-taken photographs of Machu Picchu via the grapevine of e-mail forwardings, being there in person was still a breath-taking and awesome experience. Even more exhilarating was walking on the terraces on Wayna Picchu, the small peak adjacent to it (photo 3). The climb was steep and strenuous, but rewarding. I felt as if I was walking on an island high up in the clouds, like in the Japanese animation "Castle in the Sky", by Hayao Miyazaki. Examples of the Inca's fine masonry can be seen everywhere, but I particularly liked the ones on the walls of the fortress Sacsayhuaman outside Cusco (photo 4). The stones were cut in irregular shapes and sizes, polished so that they round off at the edges, and made to fit with seamless precision with one another.
Cusco , capital of the Inca Empire, also has a rich history of art from the period. In San Blas, we wandered in the alleys, and often ended up in pretty courtyards that contain all sorts of shops (photo 5). It is wonderful to see how art has been incorporated into the daily lives of the people. I love the rich, vibrant colors and simple patterns of the textiles and carpets, and even though I was unable to bring any of those home, I was happy to preserve the scene in the form of a photograph (photo 6).
Being an anthropologist, I am more interested about people: how they live their lives, and what they think, etc. I like the photograph showing three women on Amantani Island on Lake Titicaca who were walking back from their fields in late afternoon. They were wearing traditional dresses with colorfully-embroidered head scarves. One of them was carrying a baby on her back, but her hands were busy knitting (or spinning yarn?) (photo 7). On the neighboring island of Tequile , it is the men who are better at knitting. Photograph 8 was taken at the handicraft cooperative. Another photo to similar effect was taken at Raqchi, a stop we made on the bus journey from Cusco to Puno to look at the Inca temple complex (photo 9). Right beside the ruins is the old Inca Trail, which is lined by stones. The woman, with her head slightly bent forward, was focused on her steps and the path ahead. She was carrying a huge load of grass and leaves on her back tied by a white sheet which ends she held with both hands on her chest. She was captured on the photo in mid stride, and altogether, portrays an image of industry that is in contrast to the calm backdrop. There is a sense of timelessness in this picture: the scene could have been the same a hundred years ago. I find it amazing that the people are living amongst their ancestors, so to speak.
I like the picture taken at the seaside village of Huanchaco to the north of Trujillo (photo 10). The elderly woman was dressed in bright contrasting colors and her hair was pleated in two long braids. I presumed she was with her husband and grandson. She was enjoying a cup of ice-cream, and would occasionally share it with the little boy. I observed them for a long time, but did not see the man take a single bite. Few words were exchanged between the couple, and they left after the woman finished the ice-cream. To me, they exuded an atmosphere of serenity and simple joy.
A scene that intrigued me was that I saw while we were waiting on a small bus for the city tour in the Plaza de Armas in Arequipa (photo 11). On a bench in the park, a man was talking to another who was pounding away on a typewriter. I had seen something similar in the Brazilian movie "Central Station", so I presumed that the man was dictating a letter to the professional letter-writer, probably to his family elsewhere. What is different from the 1998 film to this scene is that whereas in the movie, the leading actress had to write the letters by hand, in contemporary Arequipa , the letter-writers type them out. I found the use of technology in this case innovative. However, I was left with some questions, such as, what language were the men using (Spanish or Quechua?); and, would there also be professional letter-readers at the receiver's end to read the letter? If my assumptions are correct, the photo implies a few things: firstly, the man is illiterate; secondly, he is away from home (so what is he doing in the big city?); and thirdly, whoever he is writing to cannot be reached by telephone or other means of communication. However, my assumptions may be wrong; the man could be dictating an official or legal letter. In Taiwan , we have people who help draft legal documents, such as those for the buying and selling of land or houses, whose services are cheaper than going to a lawyer.
The highlight of our trip in Peru was staying overnight with a family on Amantani Island . My friend Rachel and I regretted that we could not communicate with our host family, but still, we had a glimpse of their life. Photo 12 was taken in the kitchen with our host's two elder daughters, Soledad and Pamela (there were altogether six children, with ages from 17 to 1). I found the design of the stove with three openings for cooking various foods at once very clever; I have not seen similar designs in Asia .
I also found the floating islands of the Uros people very interesting (photo 13). The islands are made from spongy totora reeds, and some of them house churches, schools and clinics. The Uros people can live entirely on the islands, and they make use of all parts of the totora . The island we visited even had a vegetable garden and a trout hatchery (photo 14).
I have lots of other memories about Peru , but due to limit of space, I shall conclude with the photo taken at the Plaza de Armas in Cusco on New Year's Eve this year (photo 15). It was a full moon that evening. In front of the cathedral in the town square, the rainbow flag of the Incas was flying proudly. Although the Spanish colonization of the region was bloody, it has nevertheless left its imprint firmly in many areas, including language and religion. It would be unwise to deny this aspect of the history, but also important not to dwell too much in the past. The best way forward, in my humble opinion, would be to learn from history so that mistakes are not repeated, incorporate the best of one's traditions in modern-day life, and be far-sighted and creative in facing current changes and challenges. I have seen ample such examples on this journey in Peru . The recent earthquake in Ica presents a challenge, but as the people of Taiwan has demonstrated, it can be an opportunity to start afresh. An example I have personally witnessed in my home country is the reconstruction of elementary schools. After the earthquake, many young architects volunteered in the disaster areas. With funding from corporations and charity organizations, and given free reign to express their creativities, the architects have designed beautiful schools that integrated the culture and natural environment. One school I visited was on top of a hill with less than 30 students (the epicenter of the earthquake occurred in central Taiwan , in the county that is reputed to be the most beautiful, and which is relatively sparsely populated). One side of the building was made of glass so that the students could see their beautiful surroundings. The classrooms were not completely isolated on their own by four walls but interconnected. On the whole, the building emanated an open, welcoming feeling. At another school, the trees were not cut down, but incorporated into the structure of the building. Earthquakes are not uncommon in Peru 's history, and though the road to recovery is long, I believe that the Peruvian people would be able to stand up strong again soon.
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Notes:
1. Other photos of my trip to Peru can be viewed at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/yandi/
2. I would like to take the opportunity to express my gratitude to the Drs. Otazu for opening up their lovely home to Rachel and me in Lima; to Yuri Yamasaki and Gonzalo Otazu for inviting us to Peru and allowing us to visit Trujillo with them, and for providing their valuable feedback to this article; to Candy Sueyoshi and Uncle Jarvier for showing us around central Lima. I have to thank Arturo Quispe Lazaro for giving me the chance to share my photos with the South American audience, and for his persistence and patience in prodding me to write this article. To Sarah Frost in South Africa , I would like to thank her for giving me her comments and editing the article. I am unable to thank my hosts on Amantani Island personally again, but still, I would like to acknowledge them here. Last but not least, I wish to express my appreciation to Rachel, my long-time friend who has patiently put up with my idiosyncrasies during our travels together. |
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