DRESS Peru1 AWS
we all dress
© 1998 Ralph Blessing
Peru
Andean Mother and Child on Market Day
For centuries, campesinos in the Urubamba Valley of Peru have traded their wares at the weekly market in the Andean Village of Pisac, 20 miles from the former Inca capital of Cusco. Surrounded by lofty peaks that descend to lush agricultural terraces constructed by the Inca (or their ancestors), Pisac maintains many of the traditions of its pre-Columbian past. Its bustling Sunday market, like so many in Latin America, is actually two markets; the traditional agricultural fair with its Quechua–laced bartering, side-by-side with stalls of weaving, pottery and other handicrafts aimed at the busloads of tourists that arrive each week. Campesino women and their daughters wear layered clothing, complete with lavishly colored serapes of local origin, to protect against the chill of Pisac’s 9,000-feet elevation. Much of Peru’s indigenous population lives in similar Andean communities which have been bypassed by the country’s vibrant economy. As a result some are beginning to flex their political muscle, voicing their dissatisfaction with the direction of the country and demanding a bigger slice of the pie. -- Ralph Blessing, Peace Corps/Panama, 1969-70; Peace Corps/Ecuador, 1974-78 Peru (Republic of Peru) Capital Lima Population 29,546,964 (2009 est.) Life Expectancy 70.74 years Literacy 87.7% (age 15 and over can read and write) Languages Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, others Religions Roman Catholic 81%, other Christian 2.1%, unspecified or none 16.3% Government constitutional republic Source: The World Factbook, 2009
This photo appears on the we all dress International Poster, produced by the RPCVs of Wisconsin-Madison, 2009. For more information and to order a complete set of full-size posters, see http://www.rpcvmadison.org/
© 1998 Ralph Blessing
Peru
Andean Mother and Child on Market Day
For centuries, campesinos in the Urubamba Valley of Peru have traded their wares at the weekly market in the Andean Village of Pisac, 20 miles from the former Inca capital of Cusco. Surrounded by lofty peaks that descend to lush agricultural terraces constructed by the Inca (or their ancestors), Pisac maintains many of the traditions of its pre-Columbian past. Its bustling Sunday market, like so many in Latin America, is actually two markets; the traditional agricultural fair with its Quechua–laced bartering, side-by-side with stalls of weaving, pottery and other handicrafts aimed at the busloads of tourists that arrive each week. Campesino women and their daughters wear layered clothing, complete with lavishly colored serapes of local origin, to protect against the chill of Pisac’s 9,000-feet elevation. Much of Peru’s indigenous population lives in similar Andean communities which have been bypassed by the country’s vibrant economy. As a result some are beginning to flex their political muscle, voicing their dissatisfaction with the direction of the country and demanding a bigger slice of the pie. -- Ralph Blessing, Peace Corps/Panama, 1969-70; Peace Corps/Ecuador, 1974-78 Peru (Republic of Peru) Capital Lima Population 29,546,964 (2009 est.) Life Expectancy 70.74 years Literacy 87.7% (age 15 and over can read and write) Languages Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, others Religions Roman Catholic 81%, other Christian 2.1%, unspecified or none 16.3% Government constitutional republic Source: The World Factbook, 2009
This photo appears on the we all dress International Poster, produced by the RPCVs of Wisconsin-Madison, 2009. For more information and to order a complete set of full-size posters, see http://www.rpcvmadison.org/
