No visit to Cusco, Peru would be complete without a visit to El Mercado San Pedro, a vibrant, bustling, maze of hard-working indigenistas selling every kind of food imaginable…
… and where nothing is wasted.
Welcome to Mercado San Pedro!
I was particularly drawn to the following, a colorful and tidy array of corn, beans, nuts, and spices, so beautifully packaged and presented…
But the photograph above captures a moment that still causes me pain.
The body language and expression on this woman’s face are quite real and intentional, not just an unflattering, awkward instant captured in time.
I’d already visited her shop about ten minutes before this photograph was taken. At that time, I smiled and complimented her (in my broken Spanish) on the beauty of her store, and expressed a special interest in the purple corn. She seemed to intentionally ignore me as she turned away, leaving me feeling totally unwelcome and uncomfortable, as if I had done something seriously wrong. Oh well, I shrugged… and moved on to visit the rest of the market, but…
As the minutes went by, her apparent reaction really started to bother me. Perhaps I simply misread her? So I decided to return with my smiling face and try again, with the sincere intention of buying some nuts from her. When I returned, she intentionally looked away again and would not acknowledge my existence in any positive way.
I just wanted to connect with her. Did I do something wrong? Did she confuse me with someone else? Was I was too forward? Perhaps she did not speak Spanish? Perhaps she assumed me to be just another gawking gringo tourist who had no intentions of buying anything? Perhaps her reaction is understandable given her prior experiences with people who look like me?
Anyway, I thought that her tidy and colorful store captured the essence of the charm, beauty, and intimacy of the entire market, so I decided to pull out my camera and take this photograph. I had no intentions of making her uncomfortable or trying to capture her reaction. By the way, my tiny point and shoot camera had been stored away quite invisibly the entire time and I had no prior intentions of using it, so the camera was not the problem.
But later that day, when I viewed the photograph for the first time and saw her expression and body language, I wondered… Was my mere presence there an intrusion? Was my taking this photograph an act of aggression? Did my act simply confirm her convictions about “people like me”?
To be honest, I thought about deleting this picture (or at least cropping out her reaction) and forgetting the whole experience. But I decided to keep it and share the story because it captures a sad division between people who have no reason to be divided. Where does this pointless division come from? I wish I could help her see me as just another human being trying to connect and understand, but I never got the chance. But the painful unanswered question is: Did I contribute to this division somehow? Perhaps I’ll never know.
It makes me feel sad to this very day… somewhat for me, but also for her. If we really got to know each other, I’m convinced we would be friends.
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Thanks for taking me back to Cusco, where I have been privileged to visit 3 times in my life. Even the meat markets, which are always fascinating even to me as a vegetarian. But I kind of appreciate that it’s a lot more, what is the word, open (?) – and literally – about what food is. In our day and age everything is packed and wrapped in the supermarket and the world just isn’t that clean and sterile. Not really. And there is a kind of beauty in that, too.
As for the photo itself, I think you said what needed to be said about your doubt in this situation. I only wish more people had the courage to share those kinds of reflections.
Hope you are as well as can be.
Chris
Cusco three times, wow! Salkantay Trek? Machu Picchu, I assume?
Thanks for adding you great point about what real food looks like and the natural beauty of such.
And thanks for the most kind words.
All the best to you, old friend.
Not Sal but MP, yes. (Twice at MP, actually, but that’s a story for another day). My spouse has lived in Bolivia so so that’s why we often went back to these parts of the world in former times when we had relative freedom to travel.
I actually have a collection of short stories in the drawer about a sojourn through South America esp Peru, Bolivia and Argentina, and I’ll see if I can get around to getting it there published in print at some point before I grow too old and weary.
I’m glad to see you writing a lot and leaving good thoughts for the rest of us. I might not always be able to read and comments, but rest assured, I am following, and will keep doing that.
Peace,
Chris
Thanks a million for the words of encouragement and vote of confidence, Chris.
I bet you’ve got some seriously illuminating stories to share from your travels. Do it, man!
Glad you’re here… not just on this post, but on planet earth.
Thanks and Peace.
Great introspective piece Frank. It interests me. She must deal with a couple hundred Frank Peters every time she sets up shop. Hers must be a terribly uncomfortable existence. Thanks for the courage to post about this rather than delete the photo and forget the whole episode.
Indeed. Thanks for checking in and for sharing your always deeply considered thoughts, Jeff.
How fascinating. It’s a shame for the discomfort on both sides; I agree, I’m sure you could have been friends as well.
Thanks so much for sharing that Jane. A toast to building bridges everywhere we can!
People of all nations have prejudices, either because of what they have heard or because of what they have experienced. You can only do you. I am sure that you convince some people 🙂
As far as that lady is concerned, you don’t know her story, her reaction is not necessarily caused by you.
Thanks for your global minded spirit, Stella, and for your restraint about jumping to conclusions. We all need to get to know each other. All the best.
Honesty is what I see. No fake smile for patronage.
I have a similar photo I took while visiting San Juan. I was walking along enjoying the colorful architecture and snapping photos late in the afternoon. Going through my shots that evening, one stood out above all the others. I had captured a young woman shuttering a window while closing up her jewellery shop. Staring straight through the window into the lens, she evoked a palpable level of irritation that contrasted with her beauty and the surroundings. It’s the best photo I have ever taken and one I could never bring myself to share it with anyone.
Thank you, Frank, for sharing your photo and story-it feels better to not be alone in this experience.
-jeff
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Jeffrey. And kudos to you for having the curiosity and he courage to travel… not just because of the hazards involved, but because of the lessons learned that always challenge the narrow cultural norms we are born to.
Peace.
Sorry for your pain, Frank. It could be an infinite number of things having little to do with you. Still, a shame.
Thanks for adding your thoughts and understanding, Gerald… especially for your openness to what was really happening. All the best.