Photo Essay: Lurigancho Prison, Lima, Peru

• Date: 01 September 2019
• Published date: 01 September 2019
• DOI: 10.1177/0094582X19855653
• Author: Aníbal Martel
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0094582X19855653

LATIN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES, Issue 228, Vol. 46 No. 5, September 2019, 202–208

DOI: 10.1177/0094582X19855653

© 2019 Latin American Perspectives

202

Photo Essay

Lurigancho Prison, Lima, Peru

by

Aníbal Martel

Translated by

Rosalind Bresnahan

The images in this essay were taken in the prison of San Juan de

Lurigancho. This selection is from a broader body of my work, dedicated

to documenting depressed areas of Latin America. It was difficult for me to

gain access to the prison. After a lengthy and complex process to obtain an

entry permit, I first entered without my camera, to win the trust of the

inmates and hear their personal stories, so that my photographic equip-

ment and I were not strangers when I returned with camera in hand. I

spent five days inside, trying to capture in the most truthful way possible

the daily life of the prison.

Lurigancho, as the prison is commonly known, is about 10 kilometers from

the center of Lima. It is the largest and most overcrowded prison in Peru. In

January 2012 the prison held 6,713 inmates, according to data from the Instituto

855653LAPXXX10.1177/0094582X19855653Latin American Perspectives

research-article2019

Aníbal Martel is a New York-based photojournalist and documentary photographer and a cor-

respondent for international press agencies. Born in the Canary Islands, he studied photography

and journalism in Madrid. His work has been widely exhibited and published in the United States

and internationally. Rosalind Bresnahan is an associate managing editor of Latin American

Perspectives.