Football On The Inca Trail

David Palomino Gallegos, Peru

David Palomino Gallegos is an Inca guide in the Andes mountain range in Peru. David spends his life on the famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, running a tour company called Inkas Peru Nature. David took photos of his fellow guides and porters playing a football match in the mountains.

What is this football match and who is playing?

These pictures were taken on the Inca Trail near the 4th camp at a height of 3,700 metres above sea level. The players are porters and guides on the Inca Trail. They play very good football wearing just sandals and at that height of 3,700 metres. They were very happy to show off their skills when I photographed them.

What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?

I wanted to show how strong the Andean people are. All my family going back many generations are Andean people from the mountains. Football is my life – I grew up playing football and play at least twice a week. The wider meaning was to show how much the Inca guides and Peruvians love football and that they are never too tired to play!