Photos

Outside of Cuzco, there is a village (that for the life of me I can't remember the name of) that is known for the number of "brujos" there. A "brujo" is a medicine man, faith healer, shaman, etc. On the outside of the brujo's home will be a painting similar to the one in the picture. After waiting for a bit, we (my mom, my friend, and I) went in to see the brujo. He asked if we wanted to know our futures, and we asked to give my friend's. He then grabbed some coca leaves (sitting on the table) in both hands and started tossing them like a salad. Then he studied them for a while and gave her fortune.

While my Spanish is decent, he spoke very quickly and mumbled quite a bit, and I had a very hard time translating. But I understood that she would meet a man who already had children, she should eat more vegetables, and she should wear violet. I'm sure he had more good advice, but I couldn't understand it.

When we were ready to go, I asked if I could take a photo. At this point, he was wearing jeans, a flannel shirt and a fleece vest, and he asked if I wanted him to put on his "brujo" clothes. I said yes, and he put on the poncho and the hat.

On the wall behind him is a mural of condors, one the most important Inca symbols. The Incas believed that the condor represented the afterlife, the jaguar (puma) represented life on earth, and the serpent represented the underworld.

I cropped this shot from a larger shot (which I've posted as a workshop), and next to this mural, there was a dead condor hanging on the wall.