Faces of South America: Faces of South America

Eduardo Castillo answers his cellphone as his brother Victor Castillo struggles under the weight of a heavy coffin. Afro-Peruvian men (a vocational identity known as Camalenque) are highly sought to work as pallbearers - clad in tuxedos and white gloves at the most upscale funerals - under the belief that their skin-color lends an aura of elegance to the job. On May 18, 2010 Peru's Ministry of Culture denounced the practice of the Camalenque as racist and requested - to no avail - that the mortuary business end the service.
Faces of South America, Lima, Peru

Eduardo Castillo answers his cellphone as his brother Victor Castillo struggles under the weight of a heavy coffin. Afro-Peruvian men (a vocational identity known as Camalenque) are highly sought to work as pallbearers - clad in tuxedos and white gloves at the most upscale funerals - under the belief that their skin-color lends an aura of elegance to the job. On May 18, 2010 Peru's Ministry of Culture denounced the practice of the Camalenque as racist and requested - to no avail - that the mortuary business end the service.