9 Mar 2024

Ghost Signs from Colombia and Bolivia

I haven’t seen a lot from South America, but these two lovely ghost signs from Colombia and Bolivia were captured and shared with me by Sarah Jupp during her adventures there in 2015.

Ridomil in Ingapirca, Colombia

Fading painted sign on a brick wall surrounded by shrubery. The sign is dominated by the text (quoted in the caption) and has a cartoon-style illustration of a farmer that has a though bubble above his head with a picture of a potato inside.
“Ridomil, Contra Lancha Negra”, Ingapirca, Colombia. Photo: Sarah Judd.

Ridomil is a brand of fungicide, and this sign is targeted at farmers. Contra lancha negra is saying that the product fights a particular type that affects potatoes. I love the pictorial of a happy farmer thinking about a huge, healthy potato!

Lupano/Gladymar, La Paz, Bolivia

Layers of paint fading on a wall, with gimpses of lettering and pictorial work.
La Paz, Bolivia. Photo: Sarah Judd.

The two brands featured on this wall a quite unrelated, and there is a lot more going on on the wall, making it a palimpsest.

Lupano is a clothing retailer, while Gladymar is a ceramics brand. In the lower portion of the sign, below the horizontal grey line, it says “1 bolsa de cemento gratis” (one free bag of cement), presumably a Gladymar promotion of some sort.

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