· January, 2009

Stories about Peru from January, 2009

Peru: Police Officers Killed in Pómac Forest Reserve

  27 January 2009

Three police officers, who were following a court order, were killed when they attempted to remove peasant families that had been illegally occupying lands in the Pómac Forest Reserve in Northwest Peru. Many Peruvians are mourning the loss of the 3 officers and are placing blame on officials for not providing enough resources and support for the security force. Others are providing their thoughts on those who are occupying the lands and their objectives for doing so.

Peru: Lima Celebrates Its Anniversary

  21 January 2009

On Sunday, January 18, the City of Kings, better known as Lima, Peru celebrated the 474th anniversary of its founding. Many bloggers took this opportunity to dedicate a few inspirational words to the city or post some photos, but also reflect on the challenges faced by this large metropolis.

Peru: Buying an Alligator Body Part by Body Part

  19 January 2009

Alligators are commonly consumed in the Peruvian Amazon region. De La Selva [es] writes about an experience in the market of Belén, where people gathered around the animal to purchase body part by body part.

Peru: Changing Indigenous Last Names to Avoid Discrimination

  15 January 2009

In Peru, some citizens see the necessity to change their last names, especially those that are typically indigenous, such as from “Quispe” to “Quimper,” as a way to avoid discrimination [es]. Eland Vera compares this to the practice by some movie stars in the United States who have done the...

Peru: Blogger Wishes for the New Year

  7 January 2009

“What are your hopes for the Peruvian blogosphere in 2009?” That question was openly posed to the community of Peruvian blogosphere on Juan Arellano's blog Globalizado. As a result, 28 bloggers from Peru and the diaspora responded with a wide variety of thoughts and opinions on their personal blogs and others in the comments section. Many were optimistic, yet some were bothered by the commercialization of the blogs.

Peru: Fee for Tourists at Ollantaytambo Unfair

  7 January 2009

Many national and foreign tourists were being charged an extra fee by the municipality of Ollantaytambo for the use of the train on route to Aguascalientes near the Macchu Pichu ruins. Living in Peru writes that the region's consumer protection agency ruled that the fee was unfair.

Americas: Calls for Peace in Palestine

  4 January 2009

Several Latin American bloggers are watching the events unfold in Gaza and they often feel helpless. They use their blogs to demand peace in the region. However, they also feel that after these bombings that achieving peace in the Middle East is now even further away.