I’ve previously featured some old photos of Tarapoto on this blog, thanks to Vincent Tufano and his guest post, Tarapoto As I Remember It in the 1970s.
For more historic photos of Tarapoto and the wider San Martin region, check out the following Facebook page: www.facebook.com/tarapotoantiguo.
Tarapoto Antiguo is packed with black and white photos covering Tarapoto, Lamas, Moyobamba, Yurimaguas and more (even leaving the San Martin region for forays into Tingo Maria). I particularly like the photo of Laguna Venecia (where I take my dog swimming), which today is surrounded by trees and other vegetation but back then appears to have been surrounded by agricultural land.
To get you in the mood for a trip back in time, here are the rest of Vincent Tufano’s photos of Tarapoto and Lamas from the 1970s, previously unpublished (thanks again Vincent!).
Man on horse (photo © Vincent Tufano)
This location in Lamas looks very similar to the spot on which Lamas Castle now stands. But I might be imagining things… (photo © Vincent Tufano)
Locals removing beans from pods? Or doing something else? What do you think? (photo © Vincent Tufano)
Lamistas (photo © Vincent Tufano)
View from Lamas, presumably… (photo © Vincent Tufano)
A bolder-strewn street in Lamas (photo © Vincent Tufano)
Best guess: a regional government building in Tarapoto (photo © Vincent Tufano)
Um… I’m not too sure what I’m looking at here. Anyone? (photo © Vincent Tufano)
Thanks, Tony, for publishing the balance of the fotos that I sent you a while back of Tarapoto the wayit was in the ´70s. It´s interesting to wonder how some of the kids in the fotos look now that they´re all grown up. I´t´s also interesting to contrast Tarapoto today to the way it was back then.I´ve been living again in Lima for the past five months and will return to the USA in March. If you´re in Lima before my return, get in touch since I ´d like to meet you. In any event, I made it back to Cuzco a few months ago, and it´s radically different from the way it was in the past. Around Tarapoto, Lamas still seems pretty much frozen in timeand still maintains much of the provincial charm that is quickly disappearing in Tarapoto.
Hi Vincent. I’ll certainly get in touch if I head to Lima in the next month or two. And thanks again for the photos. I posted a couple on the Tarapoto Antiguo facebook page and the guys over there seemed to really like them. Cheers!
That is the bridge of the Shilcayo (river) . The picture was taken from the what is now the stairs (escalinata). The picture is looking La Banda de Shicayo from the top of the stair (Tarapoto) .
I used to pass that bridge everyday in my way to my elementary school CE 62556 ( used to be the school of Dona Blanca Cueva.
Thank you for shar your pictures.
Fredy Arevalo Arevalo
Tony I think that mystery photo is over looking Shilcayo creek in La Banda.
Looks like the top of the hill looking down but no Bamboo to block the view from the park above. And no school on the left side of the road just a lot.
Hi Chris. Sorry about the late reply, I’ve been moving house (down to La Banda, as it happens). And yeah, the guys over at the Tarapoto Antiguo facebook page also say the photo is looking out over La Banda. Well spotted!
I agree with Chris’s comment! It’s definitely the bridge between Tarapoto and La Banda districts.
Hi Elsa, good to hear from you. I’m living down in La Banda now, not far from El Norteño. I’ll definitely be heading there soon for more pollo cantonés….
In the picture that you mentioned that you don’t know what actually you are looking at… You are looking at the bridge over the Shilcayo river… back then I can see that this picture was taken from the back of the old hospital. I lived in the first house to the right of the picture right after the bridge. That is ‘La Banda de Shilcayo.’