Peruvians

The Peruvians give their children more freedom. It is not unusual to see very young children year old wandering the streets alone. This little girl's mother was busy working in the nearby textile market, so she was sitting contentedly by herself.

I met these brothers while mountain biking through a small village. When I took their picture, they wanted to see their image on my camera.

These children were playing in the town square in Santa Teresa. The mother of the little girl I am holding told me (only half jokingly) that I could take her to America.

In general, the adult Peruvians are shy and are wary of foreigners, but I found that if I said hello and introduced myself, they were friendly and willing to talk. The Peruvian women have the hardest lives of all because the men expect them to have several children, raise the children with no help from the man, take care of the house, and help with chores. The women always carry their babies on their backs in blankets.

I fell in love with Peruvian music which is upbeat and lively. The musicians always play the traditional instruments: the charango (a tiny madolin), zomponas (pipes), and a drum made with alpaca skin. My favorite songs are El Condor pasa and Amor Indio.