Witch market in Lima, Peru

There is a large indoor witches market in Lima, Peru, beneath the Gamarra metro station. They sell love frogs, pollen, coca, quail eggs, strange fruits, slimy mixtures, dried llama fetuses, monkey skulls and all a witch might need. People suffering from asthma, impotence, anemia and other illnesses come to the market to buy the healing elixirs, which can be prepared right in front of you by throwing reptiles and other strange ingredients in a blender.

From the outside, the market looks like your regular crowded cheap shopping area – the only difference is that at the entrance there is the table wrapped into a boa constrictor carcass. Since Peru is a place famous for its shamans and natural healers, this place is where many of them shop. Besides this market, many other tourist towns have witches markets of their own, but the market in Lima overshadows them all.

There are personalized tours, although in Spanish, which one can take if he has a strong stomach. The tours are offered by Fernando Naveda, who can also arrange for a visit to a shaman or a despacho ceremony.

Gallery: Witch market in Lima, Peru