Photo Gallery

The capital of Peru is a city of contrasts. You can see all different types of people in the crowds flowing past. An Indian woman who has come down from the mountains offers tropical fruit for sale. - Peru - Lima - 1969

A little Shipibo girl protects herself from the tropical rain with a banana leaf. - Paococha near Pucallpa, Ucayali department - 1969

The legends are only available in German, French or Spanish
Les bananes de la forêt tropicale sont chargées sur des camions qui doivent ensuite franchir la Cordillère des Andes. Les fruits sont vendus dans la plupart des villes du pays. Río Aguaytía, Région Ucayali - 1969

At the bridge over the Río Aguaytía, a tributary of the Ucayali River, halfway between the cities of Tingo María and Pucallpa, the bananas are transferred from the boats to the trucks. - 1969

Two Cuna women preparing their food. Here bananas are being pounded to a pulp in a wooden mortar. - 1977

Packing banana bunches in Palmas Sur, Costa Rica. Banana plantations are spread along the Atlantic coastline where the climate is tropical and humidity high. These plantations, mainly operated by North American companies, cover tens of thousands of square kilometres. The bunches are sent to the United States and various European countries. Domestic consumption represents only a small percentage of production. In recent years, bananas have become less important due to the instability of prices on the markets. - 1977

Packing banana bunches in Palmas Sur, Costa Rica. Banana plantations are spread along the Atlantic coastline where the climate is tropical and humidity high. These plantations, mainly operated by North American companies, cover tens of thousands of square kilometres. The bunches are sent to the United States and various European countries. Domestic consumption represents only a small percentage of production. In recent years, bananas have become less important due to the instability of prices on the markets. - 1977

A tempting display in Alajuela, Costa Rica. It shows bananas and small juicy fruits called pejiballes. This picture gives us a fairly accurate idea of the wealth and diversity of tropical fruits in the Central American republics. The consumption of these products of the earth, on the internal markets, is notable. It is an indispensable complement to a mainly vegetarian diet. This fact is the result of a long tradition. But it is also explained by the high cost of meat for the country's poorest populations. Nevertheless, the production of tropical fruits by the large landowners is primarily geared towards export. The production of bananas - to give just one example - has allowed North American companies to develop and even acquire considerable economic and political importance, becoming a veritable state within the state and keeping a close eye on everything that happens in the republic. - 1977

A tempting display in Alajuela, Costa Rica. It shows bananas and small juicy fruits called pejiballes. This picture gives us a fairly accurate idea of the wealth and diversity of tropical fruits in the Central American republics. The consumption of these products of the earth, on the internal markets, is notable. It is an indispensable complement to a mainly vegetarian diet. This fact is the result of a long tradition. But it is also explained by the high cost of meat for the country's poorest populations. Nevertheless, the production of tropical fruits by the large landowners is primarily geared towards export. The production of bananas - to give just one example - has allowed North American companies to develop and even acquire considerable economic and political importance, becoming a veritable state within the state and keeping a close eye on everything that happens in the republic. - 1977

Bananas are also sold at Pasar Beringharjo, Yogyakarta's famous spice market. – 1990

A girl offers a whole bunch of bananas for sale. Pasar Beringharjo, the famous spice market in Yogyakarta. – 1990

A woman in a blue sari is sitting on a four-wheeled wooden cart, which serves as her mobile stall for selling bananas. She is serving a woman in a pink, patterned sari. In the background, two sacred cows (zebus) are wandering freely along the street. – Jodhpur – 1990