Campesino of Calca / An indigenous man chewing coca

"The photograph, taken in a city street in the region of Cusco, shows a native wearing a characteristic poncho decorated with complex geometric patterns, a typical long fringed bag called chuspa, and the traditional wide-brimmed hat called montera (an evolution of the Spanish toledana, typical of bullfighters and introduced into Peru in colonial times). This headgear can have a straight brim, as in this case, or turned upwards, and is typical of the Cusco region in particular. Its decoration and size varies according to the area of production, making it possible to identify the community to which the wearer (today mainly women) belongs. According to the inventory of the Chambi Archive, the peasant depicted in this image comes from Calca, capital of the province of the same name.
According to Llosa and Mondéjar (2002, Lunwerg), the man was filmed chewing coca, a habit widespread among campesinos to alleviate fatigue and hunger during work, combat the effects of altitude, but also to perform certain rituals; hence the title 'Campesino mascando coca' they attributed to the photo. Although no unmistakable signs of chewing appear, it can be seen that the man portrayed is actually carrying his hand to the chuspa, often used precisely to transport coca leaves.