The viceroys of colonial Lima lived under constant siege by some of the most infamous pirates and privateers of that era: John Hawkins, Thomas Cavendish, Jacques L’Hermite and Sir Francis Drake.
Fast forward to the modern digital age and you’ll find Peru has pretty much succumbed to the new breed of pirate.
A far cry from the high seas buccaneers, some of these outlaws view themselves as champions of culture and promoters of information for the masses.
These pirate merchants sell just about any movie or TV series you could want — from recent Hollywood blockbusters and golden age classics, to obscure Cannes Indy flicks.
If your hotel didn’t have On-Demand and you wanted to watch The Sea Hawk, the1940 Errol Flynn film, inspired by Francis Drakes’ exploits, no problem.
Hitchcock, Fassbinder, True Crime, Downton Abbey… you can find those, too. Just ply the stalls at the Polvos Azules shopping center, located in a somewhat dicey section of the city, two blocks up from Peru’s judicial headquarters, the Palace of Justice. If the marble lions on the justic palace steps appear anemic, that’s because they are — at least where criminal enforcement and sanctions for copyright infringement is concerned.
“When a regular consumer in a third world country, with an emerging market and a thirst for knowledge, can’t access it, it’s a power struggle between the ones who have access and those who don’t,” says Santos Demonios, the DVD bootlegger featured in the Motherboard piece. “So, at the end of the day, I’m a promoter of culture. That’s the idea, to spread culture and democratize knowledge.
“”I’m your dealer,” he says. “I deliver your pirated films, your visual drug.”
You can decide which of Demonios’ metaphors more adequately describe his trade: promoter of culture and democracy or petty criminal, satisfying the Peruvian consumer’s Jones for low-cost digital media.
There is a growing awareness among visitors to Peru that while original movies music books and video games are exorbitantly priced here just about any type of digital media can be found in pirated form at bargain prices The very excellent online guide LimaEasy recently published a shoppers directory for foreign tourists who want to visit one of the more popular of these markets Anyone considering such a shopping excursion should read and take seriously LimaEasys advice about safety precautions and possible legal wrangles with customs official when you fly home
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Rick Vecchio, Fertur's director of development and marketing, was educated at the New School for Social Research and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. He worked for Pacifica Radio WBAI and as a daily reporter for newspapers in New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts. Then in 1996, he decided it was time to realize a life-long dream of traveling to Peru. He never went back.
While serving as Peru country manager for the South American Explorers from 1997-1999, he fell in love with Fertur's founder, Siduith Ferrer, and they married. Over the next six years, he worked as a correspondent for The Associated Press. Meanwhile, Siduith built the business, which he joined in January 2007.
Now he designs custom educational and adventure tour packages for corporate and institutional clients, oversees Fertur's Internet platform and occasionally leads special trips, always with an eye open for a good story to write about.
Fast forward to the modern digital age and you’ll find Peru has pretty much succumbed to the new breed of pirate. 
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