South American Indians - In the Chuquibambilla region, up in the highlands (Altiplano), an Aymara shepherdess is giving her little lamb the bottle, after having breastfed her own child, who is now on her back. - 1980

Dominga, an Aymara woman from the altiplano, cooking in the traditional fashion on a fire fuelled by dry lama dung, which she fans with a blowpipe. Her child accompanies her at all times (Chuquibambilla, Department of Puno, Peru).

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Les Indiens de la Cordillère vouent un culte permanent à la Pacha Mama, qui est à la fois déesse de la terre et de la fécondité. Ce respect se traduit par des prières qu'ils adressent à celle dont dépend leur existence. - Puno - Hacienda San Juan de Chuquibambilla - 04h00 - 22 ° C en dessous de zéro. - 1969

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
La chaquitaclla ou bèche incaique est encore en usage de nos jours parmi les populations de l'altiplano. - Hacienda San Juan de Chuquibambilla, Puno. - 1969

An Aymara Indian plays the zampoña or panpipe, which is made up of a certain number of reed pieces of different lengths. - Hacienda San Juan de Chuquibambilla, Puno - 1969

The quena is still the favourite instrument of the shepherds on the Altiplano. - Hacienda San Juan de Chuquibambilla, Puno - 1969

This India from San Juan de Chuquibambilla smiles from under her montera, the headdress with the pleated scarf. She only wears her beautiful traditional dress, whose embroidery she is proud of, on very special highland festivals.

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Sur l'altiplano de Puno, les hommes labourent encore avec la takila, bêche inca en bois dur que l'on enfonce d'un coup de pied, tandis que la femme, qui porte le dernier-né sur son dos, retourne les mottes de terre.

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
En ce jour de fête champêtre sur le haut plateau de Puno, des Ilameros exécutent la très ancienne «danse du Lama», le solennel et dédaigneux camélidé exclusif des Andes, devant la toute simple église de San Juan de Chuquibambilla.

In the vast and infinite silence of the Altiplano, the Aymara have been playing their zampoña since time immemorial ... whose wistful and strange sounds are carried away by the mountain winds.

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
La fort étrange «consultation» d'un moderne «prêtre des esprits», a lieu à 4 heures du matin, par un froid de 17°C sous zéro, sur le haut plateau péruvien. Des feuilles vertes de coca, fèves et graines, fleurs séchées, papiers de couleur... disposés sur un autel improvisé, sont offerts à la Pachamama, déesse de la Terre-Mère et de la fécondité avant d'être brûlés au-dehors.

An indigenous man in the Altiplano of Peru plays the zampoña with a dreamy expression; its sounds (perhaps a ‘Yaraví’ or a ‘Triste’?) seem to capture all the melancholy of the vast expanse and solitude. - Book: Picture 6 - Peru - 1976

This photograph shows a ceremony for Pachamama, which was held at 4 am at -17 °C. The offerings consist of coca leaves, salt, brandy, chicha, cigarettes and food (Puno Department, Peru). - Book: Picture 111 - Peru - 1969

Nothing illustrates the economic and social diversity better than farming methods. Whilst tractors are used in some areas, the indigenous people on their small farms still work the fields in a way that has not changed since the time of the Incas. - This image shows the breaking up of the soil with the taclla, an agricultural tool originating in the Peruvian Andes. It is essentially a long-handled spade that the Incas have used since ancient times. Its shape allows it to be pushed with the foot into hard ground. - Book: Picture 90 - Peru - 1976

A woman and a child are riding on a horse across the vast, snow-covered plain near Chuquibambilla in the Peruvian department of Puno. The region is situated on the barren Andean plateau (the Altiplano) at an altitude of well over 3,900 metres. The photograph vividly illustrates the extreme weather conditions in the Peruvian highlands, where cold snaps and sudden snowfall in winter have a profound impact on the lives of the local herding communities. – 1976

The church of San Juan de Chuquibambilla near Ayaviri, in the department of Puno, at an altitude of approximately 3,900 metres. - Book: Picture 95 - Peru - 1976

In the Altiplano, near Chuquibambilla in the province of Melgar, close to Puno, at an altitude of almost 4,000 metres, winter nights can become bitterly cold when cold spells set in. Along the Río Santa Rosa, the Altiplano reveals its particular harshness and beauty. Amongst the ice-covered grasses, cows move slowly across the pasture, whilst the river winds its way through the cold landscape. In the morning, frost still lies on the ground. Only when the sun appears and climbs higher does the icy stillness gradually melt away. – 1976

Photo taken in the Peruvian Altiplano in winter. An indigenous woman with a child in the Department of Puno. She is collecting dried llama or cow dung to use as fuel. - Book: Picture 93 - Peru - 1976

An indigenous woman cooking with her child on her back. She uses dried llama or cow dung as fuel and stokes the embers with a blowpipe. Puno Department, Peru. - Book: Picture 117 - Peru - 1976

These melon-shaped hats (often called ‘bombín’) are characteristic of the indigenous people of the Altiplano in Peru and Bolivia. The clothing in this region reflects the centuries-old traditions of the indigenous communities. – Puno – 1972

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