"Visual Quotations"
                  Photographs by Richard Freeman

Quotations from Peru

Peru 1986


Peru is a country of wonders. tFrom its incredible rich pre-Spanish history to its troubled recent past with Sendero Luminoso (The Shining Path), to present day trials, more akin to other South American nations. Its landscape is as incredible as its rich (and often tragic) history. Its people and their cultures are awe-inspiring. There is the ocean, the jungle, desert, Inca ruins, The Nazca Plains, and 20,000 ft Andean peaks! To name just some of its treasures. And they have the best ceviche in Latin America.

I arrived in the north, taking a bus to the border on the coast from Ecuador, switching busses and heading to the town of Tumbes. From there to Trujillo, where, unfortunately I had my backpack stolen in the bus station. We had several packs all piled up and several people standing over them, yet mine still went missing! This is too long a story to go into. Leave it to say that I recovered and continued to travel for well over a year down to Tierra del Fuego and up to Buenos Aires. But back to Peru, these images span the entire nation from the north to south, including the central Andes, the eastern Jungles, the Inca Trail, and all parts between.

Technical Notes: These were all taken with my Leica M-6 and 50mm 1.4 Leitz lens. They were sent home along the way to my dad in Chicago for processing and proof sheets (he sent me copies along my travels). Many of the colors were fading by the time I scanned them (on the NIkon Coolscan 9000) and I have had troubles printing them. Some I just converted to B&W, when there was no other choice.