Klaus Zinser

The magic of Peru – of the Andes – emanates from different cultural eras in the same geographic space. Almost 500 years after the fall of the Incan empire, the spiritual cosmos of the highland Indians is still very much alive. The indigenous people are astutely aware of how to adapt their old traditions and rites to modern society only to the extent that they need to do so to survive. As in the past, they believe in the strength of the Apu, in the power of the mountain gods and in living in harmony with Nature. The syncretism of pagan beliefs and Catholicism is a hallmark of the vibrant cultural life of contemporary Peru. Photographer Klaus Zinser spent four years looking for traces of the past in the present, for clues to the contrasts between the archaic and the modern in the everyday lives of people in this fascinating country with its simply incredible Nature.