An American in Lima

Spanish bullfighter Jose Uceda Leal before his first corrida at Plaza de Acho, Lima, Nov. 1, 2008: , photo c. Jorge Vera 2008

Born and trained in Madrid, José Igacio Uceda Leal ranks among the top toreros in Spain. Tall and slender, the 31-year-old bullfighter moves in the ring with an elegant, commanding presence. When he’s not dancing with [...]

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Two Peruvian hairless puppies on the right, with a third puppy of the same breed with hair on left; photo courtesy of Sweet Lucy’s

Last night I tallied the results from Monday’s poll (”Should a Peruvian hairless dog become the new White House pet?“), and it turns out an overwhelming majority (87%) of visitors to this blog want [...]

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19-year-old Peruvian bullfighter Milagros Sanchez kneels in the sands of Acho, Nov. 1, 2008; photo copyright Jorge Vera 2008

This year’s Señor de los Milagros (Lord of the Miracles) bullfight festival (Nov. 1 - 23), held in the historic Plaza de Acho bullring, began in a rather unorthodox way.
(1) One minute prior to the start of the Nov. 1 [...]

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Me & the Peruvian hairless wonder dog in Pachacamac, Peru; photo by Jorge Vera c. 2007

El Fotografo shot these images in Pachacamac last year. The Peruvian hairless dog was strolling around the dusty parking lot, looking blase in his yellow t-shirt. (These dogs sunburn easily.)
The image on the left is the back of my head. [...]

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Here’s an offbeat story from today’s El Comercio that just begged to be translated into English for this blog:
“Peruvian Hairless Dog Offered to Obama’s Family”
A Peruvian Tenant in the White House?
EFE: An offer of a Peruvian hairless dog has been made to the family of Barack Obama, whose daughter Malia suffers from pet allergies. 
 
A hairless Peruvian [...]

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Public outrage over animal cruelty in bullfighting is mounting in Lima, home to the famed Senor de los Milagros bullfighting festival (Nov. 2 - 23, 2008). The festival takes place in Plaza de Acho, the oldest bullring in the Americas and the second-oldest in the world.  

Say hello to my little friend: Anti-bullfighting posters in [...]

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Sand leveller Carlos Echevarria, Plaza de Acho, Lima; photo c. Jorge Vera 2008

 Carlos Echevarria has been leveling the arena at Lima’s Plaza de Acho bullring for 35 years. It is his job to cart in fresh sand, spread it over the 60-meter-wide arena and pack it into a firm, even surface.
Then a pair of workers uses a rope and spike to draw [...]

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“There’s no way to be a great matador and not get gored.”
That’s what Bob Simon of 60 Minutes drew from his experiences while reporting on bullfighters in Spain, and it’s an ethos shared by most professional matadors. (Click here to read about Simon’s getting gored himself while researching his story.) 
Horrendous groin accidents are part of [...]

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An alpaca lifts his head while grazing on ichu grass, near Mount Ausangate; photo c. Barbara Drake 2008

Anthropologist Inge Bolin comments on the deep bond between traditional people in the high Andes and their animals:
“People talk about their llamas and alpacas with great emotion. ‘They are our brothers and sisters,’ the people of Chillihuani often [...]

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Matador David Galan, who stars in the Nov. 2 corrida

Raging bulls, elaborate torture rituals, hot sun and sand, seriously handsome guys in skin-tight outfits skewering animals through the aeorta: Lima’s Feria de Acho bullfight season (Nov. 2 - 23, 2008) showcases raw, in-your-face Spanish-style bullfighting, and the Peruvian crowds love it.

Spanish matador Uceda Leal, of Madrid, who fights in the first Acho corrida, [...]

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Back in the United States, tension and uncertainty are mounting to excruciating levels as November 4 nears. One guy will win, one guy will lose, and the specters of voting improprieties and riot police haunt many Americans’ visions of what might happen on Election Day 2008.
Hopefully the presidential candidates’ “duel to the death” will be [...]

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I spotted this unusual blue-eyed alpaca on a hillside in Upis

I returned to Lima this past Saturday after a week trekking around Mount Ausangate, in southern Peru, with my cousin and a Quechua-Spanish translator from Cusco. What an experience.
It was a work trip, rather than a vacation per se; we’d wake up at six each [...]

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The come-ons are written in Spanish and taped to a wooden counter by the cash register:
” I’m handsome, neat, and my name is Chester. I’m looking for a hot little bitch who’s crazy for me!”
“I’m playful and loving, with a good character. Searching for a beautiful girlfriend to make a family. (Please call my owner’s [...]

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Here in Lima, the trees and rooftops are overrun with cuculis — plumpish grey morning doves who coo mournfully, mate in treetops, and shit absolutely everywhere.
With all this cuculi mess around, it’s easy for a Limena to forget that Peru itself is considered a birder’s paradise.
I certainly forgot. Then I read an article in last Sunday’s El [...]

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