Toil and trouble: touring Peru's witches market
Underneath the Gamarra station in central Lima, you'll find snakes, frogs and charms for what ails you
Mario Gonzales arranges a boa constrictor at his stand. Gonzales sells jars of boa constrictor fat, left, that are used to relieve arthritic pain.Jody Kurash/The Associated Press
Maria Rios organizes a display of candles. Rios, originally from Iquitos in the Amazon jungle, sells candles and natural perfumes. The perfumes are formulated from a recipe that has been handed down for generations.Jody Kurash/The Associated Press
Beatrice Torre sells items made from huayruro hembra and el macho, which are bright red and black Amazonian seeds.Jody Kurash/The Associated Press
A frog is seared in a pan at the stand of Mario Lopez. He makes a folk cure from frogs that is purported to cure respiratory problems, impotence and anemia, and work as an aphrodesiac.Jody Kurash/The Associated Press
Mario Lopez pours a freshly mixed folk cure made from live frogs into a strainer.Jody Kurash/The Associated Press
A bin of hatun hampi: The mixture is made of various elements of the Peruvian terrain including seeds, vegetables, dirt, minerals and spices. It is used in ceremonies as an offering to Pachamama (Mother Earth).Jody Kurash/The Associated Press
A dried reptile sits on a bottle of natural perfume at Maria Rios’s. Her perfumes are alleged to attract money, find true love or ensure health.Jody Kurash/The Associated Press
Fernando Naveda, right, discusses the merits of a perfume mixture with its creator Maria Rios at the witches market.Jody Kurash