Culture

Interview: A Peruvian Renaissance man turns to photography

A photo from Dr. Alvarez's book

By Kate Mulder

October 4, 2011

Kate Mulder

Jose Alvarez is a Renaissance man: a doctor, a successful businessman, and an artist.

He is a Doctor of Medicine of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. For 20 years, he has been the General Manager of the Hospital San Pablo and also currently serves as President of Aranwa Hotels, Resorts & Spa.

After creating two very successful businesses in medicine and tourism, Dr. Alvarez went to follow a third passion: creating beautiful and amazing photography books about Peru and the 7 Wonders of the World. So far he has produced Dioses y Hombres de La Libertad (Gods and Men from La Libertad). El Apu de las Nieves (The snowy Apu) La Virgen del Titicaca (The Virgin of Lake Titicaca) Qeros Hijos de la Luz (Qeros Sons of the Light) 7 maravillas del mundo (7 wonders of the world)

I walked into Dr. Alvarez’ office and was handed a beautiful book about the Q’ero community from the Andes Mountains. I had to laugh, enjoying the synchronicity of life. My first visit to Peru consisted of a specific expedition to experience and research the Q’eros and their approach to how they view the world. Q’eros do not see themselves as separate – they live in harmony with nature, each other, and spirit. One philosophy is “ayni,” in which you give before you take, living in reciprocity and balance.

I opened Dr Alvarez’s book and was amazed by his ability to capture the beauty, peace, and love that you actually feel in their presence. I recommend anyone who loves Peru and wants to share its beauty with others to pick up a copy themselves. Dr. Alvarez was kind enough to answer my questions in this edited and abridged interview.

Tell me about the books. Why did you create them?

From a young age I liked painting and drawing, however as a professional I wasn’t able to become a painter, so I became a doctor.

I also like to travel a lot, so when I traveled I wanted to paint the scenery that I saw. However, it takes a lot of time, so I started taking photographs of the countryside and when I went back home I translated the photograph to a painting.

Eventually, since my photographs became more detailed, I became more of a photographer than a painter. I had a large database of photographs – and with this large database I came upon the idea of developing a series of books.

We have now published five books. Four of them are about Peru and one of the Seven Wonders of the World, which is about to come out during 100th anniversary of Macchu Picchu.

The fourth book is on the Q’ero community, a community which lives in the highlands of Cusco and they are very in keeping with the Inca traditions. It is a very close community and only now it is beginning to become more open to the world.

I did four trips – and each time I went I lived with them for a week or two weeks. In each trip I was able to appreciate the most defining attribute of the Q’eros, which is their spirituality and the way their spirituality translates in the way they communicate with you and with their surroundings and nature.

In your experience – what are some of the qualities that the Q’eros have that support collaboration? When we work together in business and personal life, what do they have to teach us?

I think that the Q’eros can trasmit tranquility and peace that you can learn to experience and use.

The people who are looking at your photos, at this life, what do you want them to experience?

The main message is that, in this day in age, in this century and economy in a globalized world, there are still communities which may appear poor in the traditional sense, however they have a spiritual richness which is evident in the photographs in the book.

When you look at the book, [I want readers to see] the community, the way of life, the culture, the scenery and the different aspects of their life in the community.

My experience of the Q’eros is that they live in gratitude. Can you share your experience ?

Yes, they are very friendly and gracious. They open their hearts, and you are very welcome in their community.

What do you think is the biggest misperception that people have about Peru before they come here?

In general people think of Peru as a backward country, still very much in the Third World, where the reality right now is that there are two sides: still very much the backward side where poverty is abundant, however there is also a more modern, forward thinking side of Peru which is evident when you walk around Lima.

And after [they visit]?

Three things: culture, its archeological richness, which you can see in the books. Second is food: right now food is booming all around Peru. The third is its people: warm, friendly, open-hearted.

Do you think Lima has anything to learn from their ancestral heritage that you show in the books?

Yes there is a lot to learn. Right now, Peruvians don’t study much of their own history, which is why they don’t have the time to learn from these ancient cultures. However you also have the fact that the Peruvian pride in being Peruvian has grown a lot in the last years.

What is the relationship between medicine and art? As a physician do you think there is one?

There is definitely a connection. It is a connection that other artists and doctors have seen through the ages, especially in the field of surgery, because in surgery you become a craftsman working with the most inner details of the body. It’s sort of like you are taking art to a higher or more scientific level when you mix the two.

You can find out more information about Dr. Alvarez's books here. The books are available in major bookstores throughout Peru.

Kate Mulder aims to be the voice of tech, business, and entrepreneurship in Peru. Kate's career in business development specializes in emerging markets, online technology, and cultural awareness. She currently works with investors and companies curious about doing business in or successfully expanding to Peru.