At any central market and in many corner stores in Lima and around Peru, you can now find superstitious lucky soap product, Jabon Ruda.  It claims the soap is derived from a secret preparation formula from the “Palacio del Imperio” (Imperial Palace) and that Ruda has been used by pharaohs and Inca kings that attributed magical conquering powers.

Accorgding to Wikipedia, Ruda, or Common Rue, is a plant with some acknowledged medicinal properties from digestive aid to arthritis relief but also used as an abortifacient to horses and humans. It is …

First of all this movie’s official English title translation, Milk of Sorrow, is NOT correct.  La Teta Asustada actually translates to ‘the scared tit.’ Those crazy anglos strike again.  I finally had a chance to watch this award winning film that also caused some controversy within Peru cultural constituents.
This movie was directed by directed and writen by Claudia Llosa, who is also the niece of recognized Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa.  She beautifully portrays the story of Fausta, played by Magaly Solier, who suffers from ‘la teta asustada,’ a psychological …

 During my visit to Peru, I could not help a quick chuckle when my grandmother offered me some tea and slapped a box of Hornimans on the table.  She kept asking why it was funny to me which is something you don’t want to explain to your cute little Peruvian grandmother.
Could this be one source of Peru’s obsession with sex and machismo?  Besides those little Guacos de Mochica which  are very revealing that is.

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Walter Goyburu is considered one of the local masters of Peruvian criolle music but from his respected neighborhood of Callao, Lima. Do not mistake this music to what they call creole music from New Orleans.
Goyburu’s version of the classic valz song Cenizas, originally by Emilio Visosa, was recently featured in the all star album La Gran Reunion, Los Guardianes de la Musica Criolla (’the great reunion, the guardians of creolle music’) which features 19 respected criolle music artists.  This album has been coined the Buena Vista Social Club of Peruvian …

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I met William at a stoplight in San Isidro as he was breakdancing for money. He was literally turning on his head to earn a living. This is an example of a great Peruvian guy earning a fair buck with his talents. Support the street arts worldwide. Give William some love at bboy257@hotmail

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Cumbia music in Peru had its golden age starting back in the 60’s with a style called Chicha. It took the Colombian cumbia roots but added the diverse Afro-Peruvian rhythms and Andean intrumental influences with a surf guitar sound, thus Peruvian cumbias became characterized as psychedelic.  Chichas became a thing of the past of course and the music became considered cheesy old people party music.
As of two years ago cumbia in Peru has once again taken the front seat as the popular music but with a more comercial sound.  Los …