Police in Peru say gang members killed people to drain their fat for cosmetics

Gang members in Peru face charges of killing people and draining their fat for use in cosmetics, police said today.

Police showed journalists two bottles of fat that authorities said were recovered from two suspects and a photograph of a rotting head believed to be of a male victim. The suspects allegedly told police the fat was worth $60,000 per gallon.

Police Col. Jorge Mejia said three suspects who confessed to five killings told authorities the fat was sold in Lima, the capital. One suspect said the gang severed body parts and then suspended the torsos, collecting  fat in tubs placed underneath, Mejia said.

Police named the group the “Pishtacos” after a Peruvian myth dating to pre-Columbian times of men who killed to extract human fat, quartering their victims with machetes, the Associated Press reported. The gang, which has several suspected members who are not yet in custody, allegedly operated in the Huanuco province, police said.

Several medical experts said fat has cosmetic uses, but the idea of an international black market for human fat was hard to believe.

 “I can’t see why there would be a black market for fat,” said Dr. Adam Katz, a professor of plastic surgery at the University of Virginia medical school, according to AP. “It doesn’t make any sense at all because in most countries we can get fat so readily and in such amounts from people who are willing and ready to donate that I don’t see why there would ever be a black market for fat, of all tissues.”

-- Efrain Hernandez Jr.

Peru says air force officer confessed to spying for Chile

Peru today pressed accusations that Chile is assaulting its sovereignty, saying an air force officer has confessed to passing national security secrets to its South American neighbor.

The proof of espionage includes an Internet address allegedly used by the Peruvian officer to provide information to Chile and money transfers, Peru's chief Cabinet Minister Javier Velasquez told America Television. Chilean military officers are among others suspected in a spy ring, Velasquez said.

The Velasquez comments followed those by Peruvian President Alan Garcia, who on Monday said Chile was buying national security secrets.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet responded today by calling Garcia's comments "offensive and haughty" and saying they "do not contribute to the integration and cooperation that neighbors should enjoy," according to Reuters.  The Chilean government has denied any involvement in the alleged spying.

Late last week, a judge in Peru ratified charges against Victor Ariza, 45, and an unidentified member of the air force for allegedly revealing national secrets, espionage and money laundering, according to media reports.

— Efrain Hernandez Jr.

Drought and disease hit Peru

You may remember a report earlier this year on a drought in Mexico and how it was affecting both country and city-dwellers.

Farther south, inhabitants of the Andean mountains of Peru are also being hurt. Al Jazeera reports on how rising temperatures caused by climate change mean that diseases originally only seen in tropical areas are spreading to the mountains.

Watch the video, from Al Jazeera, for more.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City

The latest Latin American export: "Esta Sociedad"

Just not that into the CW’s remixed version of “Melrose Place”? Tired of the Upper East Siders over on “Gossip Girl”?  Well, there’s a new edgy drama in town … and it has traveled all the way from Peru.

The Latin American hit series “Esta Sociedad” ("This Society") premieres tonight at 10 p.m. ET/PT on mun2, a bilingual cable network. The drama, produced by Timeline Producciones in Peru, centers around two wealthy Peruvian families living in Lima and explores a gamut of issues from teenage pregnancy and homosexuality to socio-economic divisions and racism.

The provocative one-hour series first aired in the summer of 2006 on America TV, a Peruvian channel.

The series — appearing with English subtitles for the Spanish impaired — will air Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT, with repeats airing Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

It’s not the first programming acquisition by mun2. The network’s other subtitled venture, “El Cartel,” which originally aired in Colombia, looks at the violent world of Colombia's drug lords. It premiered on mun2 this summer and airs Mondays-Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT. And earlier this year, the network aired the popular Telemundo series “Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso” ("Without Breasts There is No Paradise").

Don’t have cable or, heck, even a TV? Not to worry. This is the digital age. Full episodes of “Esta Sociedad” (with English subtitles!) will stream online at holamun2.com. 

--Yvonne Villarreal

Photo: (from left) Bruno Ascenzo ("Alonso"), Gisela Ponce de Leon ("Mirkala"), Jason Day  ("Sebastian"),
Carolina Cano ("Viviana") . Credit: Timeline Producciones.

Costume provokes culture row between Bolivia and Peru

The BBC reports from Lima, Peru, on a row between it and its neighbor Bolivia:

"Bolivia and Peru are not always on the best of terms, but their latest row is not of a political nature -- it's down to the choice of a dress.

"For her appearance at the Miss Universe contest in the Bahamas this month, Miss Peru has chosen a dress inspired by an Andean dance popular in both nations.

"She will perform in a costume bedecked with diabolical horns and eyes.

"Bolivia has accused the Miss Peru organisers of unfairly appropriating Bolivian cultural heritage. The issue has pricked national pride on both sides of the border."

Read the rest of the report here.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City

From Hollywood to the Amazon: Q'orianka joins Peruvian protestors

When she appeared as Pocohontas opposite Colin Farrell in Terrence Malick's drama "The New World," Q'orianka Kilcher drew not only on her talent but also on her empathy with indigenous Americans throughout the Western Hemisphere to craft an utterly persuasive performance as the legendary Indian princess.

What many viewers probably didn't realize is that Q'orianka's affinity for native peoples is more than simply a screen affectation. Born in Germany, the 19-year-old American actress is half Peruvian Indian on her father's side, of Quechua/Huachipaeri descent.

'Against the Grain' shows how artists challenged society in Peru

While L.A. native Ann Kaneko was shooting her latest documentary in 2001, she witnessed a country gripped by terror, where those who raised awkward questions were often treated as troublemakers, traitors or worse, writes Reed Johnson in Calender.

Kaneko wasn't training her lens on the post-Sept. 11 United States. She was holed up in Lima, Peru, taking the pulse of the South American country that had been torn apart by a brutal Maoist guerrilla uprising and an equally ruthless government reprisal. Her focus was four Peruvian artists whose work challenged and criticized Peruvian society by examining issues of state-sponsored violence, governmental repression and class, ethnic and sexual prejudice.

Tourists trip in the Peruvian jungle

John Otis, writing for GlobalPost, takes a trip in the Peruvian Amazon jungle with a group of tourists to try the plant they call “the sacred vine of the soul.”

"South American Indians have for centuries sought the assistance of ayahuasca, the plant they call 'the sacred vine of the soul.' With the guidance of a shaman, they drink a mix of ayahuasca vine and other plants to reach an ecstatic state, which they believe allows them to communicate with spirits, cleanse their bodies, and relieve a broad range of ailments.

"Now, new-age tourists from the United States and Europe are traveling to the rain forest to experience for themselves the hallucinogenic properties of the plant concoction. Some plunk down thousands of dollars to stay at jungle lodges where experienced medicine men guide them through the ritual."

Read the full report on Global Post here.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City

Latin American entries win at Berlin film festival

Gael Garcia Bernal's latest movie "Mammoth" might have received a frosty reception at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this month, but the same cannot be said for some of the other Latin American entries.

“The Milk of Sorrow / La Teta Asustada,” the first Peruvian film in the festival's main competition, won the top prize, the Golden Bear for best picture, on Saturday, reports the New York Times.

The film, about a young woman who was born as a result of her mother’s rape, was directed by Claudia Llosa and stars Magaly Solier.

Meanwhile, the Uruguayan-Argentine effort "Gigante" took three awards, including the Jury Grand Prix.

"Gigante" takes place in Montevideo and is about a guard at a supermarket who is in love with one of the employees whom he spies on through his many security cameras.

See trailers for both films in the embedded videos.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City

Peru and Mexico's Michoacán in Forbes magazine top 10 culture capitals

1. If it's culture you're after, Peru and Mexico's state of Michoacán are listed in Forbes magazine as two of the top 10 destinations.

"Known both for its textiles and folk art as well as ancient structures and biodiversity, the OECD says Peru classifies 93% of its tourists as cultural tourists," says Lauren Sherman.

On the subject of the state of Michoacán in southern Mexico, Sherman writes:

"Architecture and natural wonders may attract a tourist, but they won't keep him in one place for very long. That's why the southern Mexican state of Michoacán has moved past its rich cultural and natural heritage -- including archaeological sites, Hispanic architecture, volcanoes and beaches -- diversifying with local celebrations, festivals and museums in hopes of keeping visitors busy (and spending)."

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City