Peruvian Hand Gestures

Most Peruvians speak more than one language, the national language is Spanish, but many also speak Quechua or another tribal language as well.  Very little English is spoken unless the people are professional with professional schooling; even then it is still rare.

Talking with your hands is commonplace in Peru, especially because Peruvians are very animated.  Behavior scientists say that during face-to-face conversation, 5% is verbal, 38% is vocal (including tone), and 55% in non-verbal and gestural.  You do have to be careful though.  Be aware that some familiar hand gestures can have very different meanings.  If you don’t know the language well, gestures are powerful communication tools, and are helpful in learning the language.  I have learned almost half of my Spanish words from just asking ‘que es’ (what is) and pointing to things. 

Gestures can get you into trouble, and although most Peruvians will assume that the foreigner just doesn’t understand, not everyone is understanding.

Come Here

In Peru you beckon someone or say ‘come here’ by turning your palm down while opening and closing your hand.  It is kind of like how you would shew someone away in the US.  Using a single finger like you would in the US is more or less lost in translation.

Nevermind

In the US, throwing your hand down palm to the ground and bending at the wrist means ‘nevermind’ or ‘whatever,’ in Peru it implies that someone is homosexual; this is highly offensive in a largely Catholic country.  This is a good way to start a fight.

Excellent

In Peru, making the ok sign, but rotating it 180 degrees (with the three fingers down) means ‘nice or excellent.’  Be careful though because it also implies that you yourself are homosexual or that the person you are talking to is homosexual.  Again this can start a fight, so it is best to avoid so as not to offend anyone.

Kill

The hand gesture of making a gun with your hand and pointing is very offensive and could actually provoke a fight.  I think it literally means ‘I am going to kill you.’

F-You

In Peru, when bending the pointer and ring fingers at the first knuckle, with the knuckles slightly ahead of the fingers - thus symbolizing genatalia, is the same as flicking someone off.

Secret

When someone taps the side of his nose with his forefinger, it signals a desire for confidentiality or secrecy in many cultures.

Pay Me

In Peru, the act of sweeping the hand and arm across a table means ‘pay me,’ although the same thing means that ‘someone is stealing’ in other Latin American countries.

Hungry

By extending the arm, bunching the fingers together and bringing your hand towards your mouth means that you are hungry

Packed

With your palm up, opening and closing the fingers and thumb (bunching the fingers) is slang for ‘it is packed.’

Cheeky

When tapping the cheek with fingers, palm facing towards or away from the face, means cheeky.

Watch

Pulling the bottom of the eyelid down means ‘I am watching you’

Blow/ Fight

The hand chopping sign usually means that there is violence or someone took a blow.

Hang Loose

The bullhorns gesture with your middle three fingers bent with the pinky and thumb out just means ‘hang loose’ in Peru

The People of Peru

The People:

Peruvians are strong-willed individuals, but they are also very accepting people.  They will try to accommodate and please others, especially tourists.  Something that is notable about all of South America is that there is a really relaxed concept of time in Peru.  Buses and many other transportation services are unreliable because of this fact, so be sure to keep this in mind when planning.  Peruvians are more interested in relationships rather than the time schedule.

From experience, a couple travel mates and I got separated from the rest of our group because the driver of the tiny vehicle that they call a bus, packed with 20 people or so, had to chat with everyone as he was dropping people off at their stops throughout Iquitos.  It was a little scary, the three of us spoke very limited Spanish and we were literally side by side, almost sitting on top of other Peruvian travelers; some of whom looked like they wanted to kill us.  It’s strange to feel lost with complete faith in someone you can’t even communicate well with.

Although some experiences can be a bit scary, you have to make wise decisions and a keep a keen eye out for thieves, especially if you are white.  White people usually mean rich and an easy score for them.  Don’t completely trust everyone, especially at the Lima airport.  Not all of the taxi service people are honest, so don’t let your bags out of your sight. 

Being careful is always good, but also don’t be afraid to ask for directions, most people will actually take you to where you want to go.  This goes for anywhere mostly, but specifically in the nice parts of Lima, people are very willing to help.  It is true, most people generally are good people.

Family:

Families are very important to Peruvians, usually whole extended families live with one another.  The women tend to stay home and take care of the house, the children, and the elderly.  It is their outlook on how important they see people that makes them so hospitable.  From experience, they will often times give up their beds and meals to travelers or visitors.  My team holds medical clinics in the jungle and the people there are so excited to have you there, to provide them with something that they have possibly never had, that they will do anything for you. 

 Children:

The Peruvian children are very different from American children.  They are very much directly impacted by their culture because they are very trusting.  You don’t even have to introduce yourself.  In the jungle once we arrive, flocks of kids just come.  They mostly just come to see white people and touch our skin and hair, but most of them just want to play, be held, and loved.  That is one thing that I am definitely good at.  It is so easy to form quick attachments with them because they are so open and loving.  They are non-judgmental, they love you for no reason which is for sure something I wish came easy to me.

Gestures:

I am going to talk about hand gestures in a future post, because that is something important to keep in mind.  Not all of our common hand gestures here mean the same things in Peru, and many of which can be very offensive.

When introducing yourself for the first time, members of the opposite sex shake hands.  It is common for men who know each other well to shake hands or pat each other on the shoulder or back, this is more a sign of respect for one another.  Just like anywhere else, when someone shakes with a tight grip or intentionally twists to make their hand on top, it shows power, but it also is offensive because it shows that you aren’t on the same level; it makes you look like you are better than the other person.  A light lingering handshake is generally more favored in Latin America, and to withdraw the hand too quickly could be interpreted as an insult.  Women who know each other will kiss each other on one cheek.  This is also a common greeting for most men and women if you know them.  Hugs are also common, but women should be wearier because it can also send a wrong message.  One common sight between men is that you might see friends holding hands, there is no ‘gay’ connotation to that in Peru or in other areas of the world for that matter; it is very common in different parts of Africa as well.

When talking to people, it is common for friends to call each other by first names.  Out of respect, older people and people you don’t know well should be addressed by title, either ‘Senor’ or ‘Senora’, and last name.  Only close friends and family use first names.  Professionals should be addressed by their professional title and last name, just like in America. 

Other common conversational differences include animated hand gestures, vicinity, and eye contact.  Like I said, I will touch on hand gestures in the future.  Vicinity focuses on the fact that Peruvians traditionally stand very close and touch each other when they talk, sometimes the closeness is very uncomfortable.  To make things more uncomfortable, maintaining eye contact is also important.  Talking to a person without eye contact is kind of insulting.  Picture standing five or six inches from a person maintaining constant eye contact having a conversation with someone.  It is a little awkward at first, but you will get used to it.

Ages & Dress:

Peru is a rather young country because most of them live in urban areas and over half of them are under the age of 15.  This is because the mortality rate is high for adults.  Only 6.5% of adults are older than 65 years old. 

In urban areas Peruvians usually wear western-style clothing and tend to dress up when going out into public.  It is inappropriate to go out of the house wearing dirty or old clothing.  This is different in the jungle, however, some more traditional villages wear traditional ‘indian’ clothing, although western t-shirts and shorts are commonplace.  Many in the jungle do not wear shoes however, especially the children because they don’t have access.  The people that live in the mountains also wear different clothing, theirs is usually heavy and usually made of alpaca fur.

There are a lot of aspects that make up the Peruvian culture, but all of which are important to at least have a working knowledge of when visiting the country.  Just live and love the people, it will give you a whole new outlook on your own life.