Tom Filipowicz in Chiclayo shows us how an expat/foreigner can earn a living in Peru.


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One of the most frequently asked questions by people thinking of relocating to Peru has to do with the availability of business or employment opportunities. I can’t tell you how happy I am that the days of having to concern myself with earning a living are behind me. Retirement is the best thing that ever happened to me. Well, make that second best. Meeting and marrying my wife is first. Anyway, I don’t know what advice to offer to those looking to make a buck in Peru. I do know that many people try teaching English, either privately or affiliated with a school. Others attempt to open restaurants though the success rate is not so good. There is a new restaurant that is either owned or being constructed by a gringo opening near our apartment. We saw him recently. I offered my standard…”How ya doin?” greeting but he didn’t respond which pretty much rules out American, Canadian and British nationalities, unless he was just having a bad day.

What I can talk about is how Chiclayanos make a living. Just about every occupation you can name exists in Chiclayo. From politicians to plumbers to prostitutes, they’re all here. What’s different is the scale. As opposed to huge and lavish, small and modest is the rule. If you have a white collar job – bank or government employee as this woman is, lawyer or teacher, your work area will be small and humble. Nor will you be supported by the latest in technology. Instead your desk will be covered with paper, pencils, and rubber stamps. Lots of rubber stamps. But there really aren’t that many white collar jobs in Chiclayo. Mostly you’ll be selling or transporting something. The sales jobs range from fast food to all sorts of manufactured products including jewelry, clothing, furniture and appliances, cars, etc, just as you’d see in the States. If you’re in transport you’ll probably be moving people but could also be delivering products or moving material to construction sites.

If you’re a self employed laborer or laboring for someone else, the same conditions apply. There are no mega-manufacturers with robotic technology in Chiclayo. Instead you’ll be working in a two or three man shop, doing your carpentry, auto repair, metal fabrication (as in this photo) or whatever the old fashioned way…..by hand. Hand-held electric drills, grinders and saws are about as good as it gets.

Building construction is also done on a small scale. Concrete is usually poured via the bucket brigade, even on three and four story buildings. Bricks are hauled up by hand, and tree limbs are used for leveling and as temporary supports. Given the methods I am surprised at the quality of the completed buildings. This building dates back to colonial times and is being renovated.

Obviously there are more standard type jobs I haven’t mentioned but you’ve probably got the picture by now. Let’s look at some occupations you may not be familiar with. Any and everything, legal or illegal can be bought pretty much openly on the streets. Selling pirate DVDs as in this photo (5 movies on a disc for $1.50 - quality sucks) is a popular occupation, though not without risk. Frequent police raids sometimes result in the confiscation of the merchandise. There is a raid warning system and in under 5 seconds these people and their display racks can be inside the Bata shoe store behind them.

You can be a “vigilante” – which corresponds to a private security guard who sits on a chair in a strategic area of a neighborhood and watches houses for 12 hours. Each home owner pays about $10 monthly for this service. Many young men earn a living by twirling flaming batons or doing gymnastic feats at major intersections for stopped traffic. Informal parking valets will offer to stop traffic so you can back out of your parking spot. Roving shoe shine men and photographers are numerous at high traffic areas. There are also roving musicians, usually three or four who walk slowly through neighborhoods playing their instruments. Custom has it that, should they see you watching them play through a window or from a balcony, you owe them money. They can be very persistent about banging on your door until you show up with a coin or two.

Selling candy, bread, brooms, juices and everything else imaginable is common on street corners. And if business isn’t so good you can quickly move to another location or, as this man is doing use the time to catch up on your sleep.

Curbside restaurants are very popular, especially with taxi drivers. The food is basic, filling and cheap. You can eat fast and be on your way in minutes for less than one dollar. Ceviche is a big favorite at these stops. If you’re only going to be in Peru for a few days I’d recommend not eating at a curbside restaurant, or drinking juices sold from roving carts. Dealing with Montezuma’s Revenge is not a fun way to spend your vacation.

People don’t generally earn a lot of money in Peru, but they don’t need a lot of money. It’s amazing how little it takes to put food on the table for a large family. Rice, eggs, vegetables, bread and chicken are cheap. Rice is part of nearly every meal. Many families literally don’t know where tomorrow’s rice will come from but they know that somehow they’ll get it. Chiclayanos; men, women and children are not afraid to work.

Tom  




If you’d like to experience events like this and get a taste of real daily life in northern provincial Peru, speak to Tom & Maribel via Mochica Hostess Tours

Tom Filipowicz in Chiclayo gives us our regular dose of virtual tourism with a look into Chiclayo's Past

Article brought to you by Mochica Hostess Tours

The area Chiclayo occupies today has been populated for thousands of years, beginning with people of whom nothing is known, through several distinct cultures up to the present. The informal founding of Chiclayo took place shortly after the arrival of the Spanish with the construction of Santa María de los Valles de Chiclayo – a Franciscan Monastery begun in 1561. The formal founding (whatever that is) took place in 1720. On April 15 1835 Peruvian president Felipe Santiago Salaverry bestowed the official title of ‘city’ on Chiclayo. For whatever reason he also gave it the honorary title of ‘Heroic City’, which can still be seen on monuments throughout the city.

Because of my fascination with history I have always loved ‘then and now’ photos. I’ve not been able to locate many historical photos of Chiclayo, though I’m told unknown persons have many of them in unknown locations, so my ‘unknown self’ is going to keep looking. I have driven myself and others crazy trying to date the old photos that follow with no success. Let’s just say they’re old.

The Franciscan Monastery “Santa María de los Valles de Chiclayo” has a colorful history. As mentioned earlier construction began in 1561. On September 24 1859 it opened its doors as the San Jose National school. In 1882 during the Pacific War with Chile, the Chilean army occupied the building. In 1906 the building again served as a school until the late 1980s when a portion of the ancient structure collapsed and three students were killed. Since that time what remains of the once proud structure has been boarded up and allowed to slowly crumble.

The building on the left is now Interbank. The central square looks more like a jungle than a park. Whenever I look at this photo I get a ‘Sunday’ feel from it – the cars casually on parade; the strollers and bench occupiers enjoying their day off.


The same view from a slightly higher angle. Things change in 100 years or so. What remains of the monastery is hidden behind palm trees in the photo’s center. I spend hours in this park looking and listening. It’s an island of peace surrounded by the hustle and bustle of central city activity.

Avenue Balta North, taken from somewhere near the central park. The banner apparently is informing the populous of an upcoming annual celebration on December 8th of the “Virgin of Immaculate Conception”, a celebration that has been taking place for 300 years. It seems to me that Peruvians have a preoccupation with virgins. Every organization from postal workers to fire fighters has a patron virgin. Tradition has it that the statue of Elias Aguirre in the park bearing his name tips its hat to every passing virgin.

Avenue Balta North today. The building on the left is the former Royal Hotel, inaugurated in 1930. Just this year it became a Ripley Department Store, one of a huge chain of stores owned by a Chilean conglomerate. The city office building on the right was constructed between 1919 and 1924. Extensive remodeling has recently been completed.

Avenue Elias Aguirre looking east from the intersection with Avenue Balta South. Construction on the Santa Maria Cathedral was begun on February 13 1869. It was consecrated 90 years later in 1959. The road gets its name from Elias Aguirre who was a prominent figure in the Pacific War with Chile. Another important figure in the Pacific War was Jose Leonardo Ortiz. His home still exists today (red arrow) and is designated an historical monument.

Same view today, except I took my photo one hour later. The church and Ortiz’s house are the only objects I’ve been able to identify from the previous photo. What these photos can’t convey is the changes over time. Dozens of restaurants and other businesses have opened, closed and reopened in this block during the interval between the old and new photos. Maribel’s parents watched movies in a cinema half-way down the block on the right. The cinema has long been closed and forgotten, but had not even been conceived of in the preceding photo. Who knows what things will look like in another hundred years?












 If you’d like to experience events like this and get a taste of real daily life in northern provincial Peru, speak to Tom & Maribel via Mochica Hostess Tours