Photo Gallery

The valley of the Río Jequetepeque, a major river in northern Peru. The striking, columnar and heavily ribbed cacti in the foreground are candelabra cacti (Neoraimondia arequipensis), typical of the western slopes and coastal valleys of Peru. The photograph shows the striking contrast between the barren, stony desert and mountain landscape with its xerophytic vegetation and the artificially irrigated, green farmland in the valley, which is intensively used for the cultivation of rice, sugar cane and fruit. – Peru – 1969

The rivers flowing down from the Western Cordillera cross the Peruvian coastal desert on their way to the Pacific Ocean. Around forty box-shaped valleys with broad floors and steep sides are carved into the desert plateau, which slopes gently down towards the sea. With their vineyards, lucerne fields and vegetable plots lined with rows of trees, they form green oases in a barren landscape. The rice fields recently established along the Río Jequetepeque, where indigenous people plough with teams of oxen, are reminiscent of their Asian counterparts. - Book: Picture 89 - Peru - 1976

Huanchaco is the beach of Trujillo in the department of La Libertad. As hundreds of years ago, fishermen still go out to sea with their balsa boats. - 1972

The Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) in flight. It has dark plumage with a distinctive white ruff and pale stripes on its wings. It belongs to the family of New World vultures and, with a wingspan of up to three metres, is considered one of the largest flight-capable bird species in the world. Although the Andean condor is mostly associated with the high peaks of the Andes (such as the famous Colca Canyon), it actually descends regularly to the Peruvian Pacific coast. This photograph was taken on the Paracas Peninsula. In the Paracas National Reserve and along the nearby cliff-lined coast, the condors make use of the strong sea winds and updrafts along the steep cliffs to glide for kilometres without expending much energy. They are drawn there for one reason above all: the availability of food. On the coast, they feed on the carrion of beached marine mammals (such as sea lions) or the remains of seabird colonies. – 1977

The Toquepala mine in the Tacna region is one of the five largest copper mines in the world in terms of reserves. It is operated by Southern Copper Corporation (a subsidiary of Grupo México). The railway line shown in the picture forms part of the private industrial rail network known as the Ferrocarril Ilo-Toquepala-Cuajone. The line was built around 1959–1960 to transport the mined copper concentrate directly from the deep open-cast mine over the Andean passes to the smelter and the export port at Ilo. – Peru – 1976

Sunset on the road from Nazca to Puquio, Abancay and Cusco. These giant candelabra cacti are a common sight on the arid slopes of this region. – 1972