We are headed for Cuzco this morning. We’ve spent the last few days in Lima in a whirlwind of traffic, noise, food and museums. Much to our dismay, most of the museums do not allow photos. The last stop yesterday was a textile museum with an unbelievable collection of really old weaving, knitting and other types of textiles. There were examples over 2000 years old that looked as new as today, both in quality and design. Stripes, plaids, intricate patterns and bold graphics. It was a little difficult because the woman in the museum spoke only Spanish. I concentrated very hard and actually understood more than I expected of what she was saying about the techniques used for dyeing, weaving and other methods of creation.
We also visited the Mercado (marketplace). There were many stalls and vendors with woven and knitted alpaca scarves, shawls and hats, representative of Andean traditions. Lots of other local crafts as well. I couldn’t help but compare this market area to those we’ve experienced in other countries. For a Latin American comparison, the vendors are far more aggressive in Brazil than here. In Brazil, it is not acceptable to be rude, but they are politely very pushy, So far, in all the market stalls we’ve visited in Lima, the people are very soft-spoken and gentle. They are willing to bargain, but they do not wave their goods in your face and try to convince you to buy. Far more subtle than any other markets we’ve ever shopped.
I suspect when we return to Lima next week, I’ll have may more observations about the culture and how it compares to our experiences in Brazil. My initial impression is that Lima is a large, crowded city. A little shabby, but very clean for a population of 9 million people.
No comments:
Post a Comment