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1 The Traveler´s Guide to FESTIVITIES, MUSIC AND FOLK ART IN PERU The Traveler´s Guide to FESTIVITIES, MUSIC AND FOLK ART IN PERU www.peru.org.pe [email protected] CONTENTS THE POWER OF DIVERSITY FESTIVITIES IN PERU Festivities Calendar JANUARY Entrega de Varas (scepter of power) Chiaraje (war game) Marinera Dance Festival FEBRUARY Virgen de la Candelaria Tinca de Vacas (cattle-branding) FEBRUARY AND/OR MARCH Carnivals MARCH Lunahuaná Adventure-Sports Festival Wine Festival Cruces de Porcón March and/or April Easter Week Lord of the Earthquakes APRIL Peruvian Paso Horse Festival MAY Virgen de Chapi Señor de Muruhuay Festival of the Crosses Qoyllur Rit’i JUNE Inti Raymi San Juan San Pedro & San Pablo Corpus Christi JULY Virgen del Carmen de Paucartambo Independence Day Yawar Fiesta AUGUST Santa Rosa de Lima SEPTEMBER Virgen de Cocharcas International Spring Festival OCTOBER Virgen del Rosario Señor Cautivo de Ayabaca (The Captive Christ of Ayabaca) Señor de los Milagros (Lord of Miracles) Señor de Luren NOVEMBER All Saints Day & Day of the Dead DECEMBER Andean Christmas CONTENTS

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The Traveler´s Guide toFESTIVITIES, MUSIC AND FOLK ART IN PERUThe Traveler´s Guide to

FESTIVITIES, MUSIC AND FOLK ART IN PERU

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CONTENTS

THE POWER OF DIVERSITYFESTIVITIES IN PERU

Festivities CalendarJANUARYEntrega de Varas (scepter of power)Chiaraje (war game)Marinera Dance FestivalFEBRUARYVirgen de la CandelariaTinca de Vacas (cattle-branding)FEBRUARY AND/OR MARCHCarnivalsMARCHLunahuaná Adventure-Sports FestivalWine FestivalCruces de PorcónMarch and/or AprilEaster WeekLord of the EarthquakesAPRILPeruvian Paso Horse FestivalMAYVirgen de ChapiSeñor de MuruhuayFestival of the CrossesQoyllur Rit’iJUNEInti RaymiSan JuanSan Pedro & San PabloCorpus ChristiJULYVirgen del Carmen de PaucartamboIndependence DayYawar FiestaAUGUSTSanta Rosa de LimaSEPTEMBERVirgen de CocharcasInternational Spring FestivalOCTOBERVirgen del RosarioSeñor Cautivo de Ayabaca (The Captive Christ of Ayabaca)Señor de los Milagros (Lord of Miracles)Señor de LurenNOVEMBERAll Saints Day & Day of the DeadDECEMBERAndean Christmas

CONTENTS

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Santuranticuy fairVirgen del Carmen de ChinchaCoca leaf and Offerings to the Earth Goddess

DANCES AND INSTRUMENTS

The Marinera and the CajónThe Huayno and the QuenaThe Huaylarsh and the HarpThe Festejo and the QuijadaCarnival and the MandolinThe Santiago and the TinyaThe Creole Waltz and the GuitarThe Sikuri and the ZampoñaThe Harawi and the CharangoDanzantes de Tijeras (Scissors Dancers)Chicha or Peruvian CumbiaWhistling Gourds

ARTS & CRAFTS & FOLK ART

Fleeting ArtFireworksCarpets of Flower PetalsT’anta WawasCandles and Giant Wax CandlesFuneral ArtPotteryAyacucho PotteryPuno PotteryCuzco PotteryShipibo PotteryBaskets and Straw ArticlesImagesMasksRetablosHuamanga Stone CarvingsWooden CarvingsCarved GourdsJewelrySilversmithyGold FiligreeSemi-precious StonesLeather GoodsSarhua BoardsTextilesHessian WeaveEmbroideryCotton Thread InlaysTapestriesNeedlepointDecorative Utensils

Artisanry Fairs, Crafts Centers and Museums

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TThe spirit of Peruvian Man, sculpted by art andreligion, has given rise to a creative vein whichcrops up in an endless variety of shapes, rhythmsand rituals. Year after year, more than 3.000 folkfestivals, 1.500 musical styles and countless artsand crafts confirm that Peru is home to one ofthe most varied folk legacies on Earth.

With this outpouring of artistic expression,Peruvians feed on their deep-lying roots to projecta timeless alliance with nature and throughrhythms and colors, strengthen theircommitment to life and extend to visitors thehospitality and reciprocity that are so typical ofPeruvian culture. The many festivals, even thoseof a religious nature, reveal the joyous nature ofPeruvians, both men and women, theirinclination to be sociable and share their hopes.

Although they were not always separated fromday-to-day life and work, these festivals arerooted at the present, marked by an overflowingsensuality, the overwhelming outpouring of reli-gious faith, and the need to interpret in a cre-ative way the temporary reversal of order thatbreathes new life into the cohesion of Peruviancommunities. Today, the festivals echo to thestrains of wind and percussion instruments, someof which date from pre-Inca times and somewhich have been created more recently. Thereare also dances ranging from the traditional –like the marinera and the huayno– to more mod-ern rhythms –such as creole waltz and chicha.

This capacity for musical fusion is the moststriking affirmation of a culture that does notadmit excluding purisms, one which forges acommon identity out of a multi-cultural realityfilled with differences.

In Peru these differences, and the living historyin which all of them converge, open up amultitude of creative possibilities that take shapein the form of objects made for daily use ordestined for sacred rituals. Artisans threw alltheir expressive force into an ample repertoireof pottery, textiles, images, carvings, jewelry andall sorts of arts and crafts that are typical of Peru,such as the Sarhua boards or the San Marcosretablos. Like most Peruvian folk art, their work

The Power of Diversity

reveals an essential commitment to fertility,abundance and life itself.

FESTIVITIES IN PERU

Peru holds around 3.000 folk festivals every year.This guide takes a look at a selection of 34festivals chosen for their tourist popularity,geographic reach, cultural importance andunique character.

Most of them are dedicated to a patron saint, fall-ing within the Christian calendar imposed dur-ing the Vice-regency, after having been carefullyadapted to the magical and religious beliefs of aparticular region.

Apart from these religious festivals, Peru hostsother celebrations that are exclusively pagan,such as those linked to time-honored myths injungle native communities and the countlessfestivals created over the past few centuries ordecades. More over, on the same day of thecelebration, migrants from 4.000 regional clubshold urban versions of the same festivals thatthey celebrate in their home towns.

A traditional Peruvian festival is, by nature, aspace where all things both sacred and profanecome together in a single manifestation of pride,vitality and sheer joy.

The Christian rite that is manifestly visible –above all in the highlands– is superimposed onthe pre-Hispanic tradition of taki (singing anddancing in the Quechua language) dedicated topagan gods that are reborn every year in the guiseof Occidental saints.

The celebrations go hand-in-hand with a busyprogram of activities that include Mass,processions, pilgrimages, dancing, banquets, artsand crafts shows and agricultural fairs, folk dan-ces and other shows that blend sensuality andspirituality, the circular order and temporarychaos as well as the past and the future.

Peru’s festivals form a richly colored tapestryaimed at reinventing history and producing acelebratory synthesis of Man and Mother Earth.

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FESTIVITIES CALENDAR

JANUARY1CuzcoEntrega de VarasThe power of a scepter

At the start of every year, the elders of each com-munity in the area (the yayas) come together todesignate the candidates who are to become thehighest authorities of their villages: the Varayocs.In a festival that features gallons of chicha (maizebeer) and llonque (sugarcane alcohol), the mayoror Varayoc receives the scepter or vara that sym-bolizes his power. This pre-Hispanic custom hasbeen glossed over with Occidental formalities. Thevaras are crafted from local wood varieties suchas chonta palm, black hualtaco, huallacán ormembrillo, measure around a meter in length andare inlaid with gold and silver (Cuzco’s Town Hallfeatures a small museum that exhibits some su-perb examples). When a Varayoc steps down fromhis post, he ceases to hold any post in his com-munity ever again, and becomes one of the ven-erable elders.

20Canas (Cuzco)ChiarajeRitual battle

The tradition of staging ritual battles to ensurethe fertility of the land lives on in a remote partof the department of Cuzco. The Pampa delChiaraje, at an altitude of 4.700 meters above sealevel, in the province of Canas, can be reached bya paved road from the old Inca capital and thenvia a dirt road. Here, every year the peaceful vil-lagers of Checcas, Langui and Layo stage an im-pressive battle. Armed with hardened lambswoolslings, leather whips and waistcoats decoratedwith flowers, young warriors taunt each other inthe mist or amidst pelting hailstorms. This ispucllay, or war games, where the name of thegame is to control as much territory as possibleand force the enemy to retreat.

20Trujillo (La Libertad)Marinera Dance FestivalCourting with a handkerchief

The marinera is one of the most elegant dancesin Peru. The dance involves a great deal of flirt-ing between a couple, who each twitch a hand-

kerchief in their right hand, while keeping thebeat during what is fairly complex choreography.Dance steps, characteristic of the marinera in-clude the coqueteo (with the couple dancing veryclosely together) and the skillful cepillado foot-work (literally “brushing”). The daring marinera,danced in the department of La Libertad, fea-tures the man wearing a wide-brimmed hat andponcho and the lady dressed in an intricateMoche lace dress. From January 20-30, the GranChimú stadium in the city of Trujillo holds thecountry’s most important marinera festival. Thiscompetition, that draws couples from all over thecountry, is organized by the Club Libertad. Dur-ing the festival, the city also hosts processionsinvolving floats, and the whole town takes on afestive air. The people of Trujillo gather at themain square to dance and celebrate.

FEBRUARY1-14PunoVirgen de la CandelariaFaith in the folk capital of the Americas

For 18 days, the highland town of Puno, nestledon the shores of Lake Titicaca at an altitude of3.870 meters above sea level, is becomes the FolkCapital of the Americas. The festival gathersmore than 200 groups of musicians and dancersto celebrate the Mamacha Candelaria. For thefirst nine days, the mayordomos (those in chargeof organizing the festivities), decorate the churchand pay for Mass, banquets and fireworks dis-plays. On the main day, February 2, the virginis led through the city in a colorful processioncomprising priests, altar boys, the faithful, Chris-tians and pagans carefully maintaining the hi-erarchy. This is the moment when the troupesof musicians and dancers take the scene, per-

Festival of the Virgin of the Candlestick, PunoPromPerú

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forming and dancing throughout the city. Thefestival is linked to the pre-Hispanic agriculturalcycles of sowing and harvesting, as well as min-ing activities in the region. It is the result of ablend of respectful Aymara gaiety and ancestralQuechua seriousness. The dance of the demons,or diablada, the main dance of the festival, wasallegedly dreamed up by a group of minerstrapped down a mine who, in their desperation,resigned their souls to the Virgen de laCandelaria. The dancers, blowing zampoña pan-pipes and clad in spectacular costumes and out-landish masks, make their offerings to the earthgoddess Pachamama. The most impressivemasks, for their terrifying aspect, are those ofthe deer fitted with long twisted horns similar tothe Devil, and Jacancho, the god of minerals.During the farewell, or cacharpari, the dancerswho fill the streets finally head to the cemeteryto render homage to the dead.

27-30Quico (Cusco)Tinca de VacasBranding the property of one and all

This festival, which is linked to the ApostleSantiago (St. James), culminates in cattle-brand-ing. This ceremony, celebrated only by familieswho own livestock, invite visitors to eat beef orllama meat and drink chicha. The festival ishosted in the community of Quico, located at4.800 meters above sea level. Access, via theUrcos-Quince Mil track (on muleback), is toughbut worth the effort.

FEBRUARY-MARCH2nd half of February-1st week of MarchPan-PeruvianCarnivalsThe festival of joy

Peruvian carnivals are marked by the festivecharacter of Andean areas, which regularly breakwith their solemn traditions. Beyond regionalvariations, a common characteristic of nearly theentire highland chain is the ritual of the yunza,called umisha in the jungle and cortamonte onthe coast. It involves artificially planting a treetrunk laden with gifts, around which the guestsdance until it is chopped with a machete or anax. The couple who make the final hack thatbrings down the tree will then both be in chargeof organizing the yunza next year. Peruviansacross the country are extremely fond of tossingbuckets of water at each other during this festi-

val, so onlookers would be wise to take precau-tions. Cities where carnivals reach a high pointinclude Cajamarca and Puno.

MARCH1st weekCañete (Lima)Lunahuaná Adventure Sports FestivalA week of adventure

The pleasant valley of Lunahuaná, a paradise foradventure sports lovers, is just half an hour fromSan Vicente de Cañete, a town 150 km south ofLima. The main attraction is the fast-runningCañete River, which features rapids up to ClassIV. Each year, the valley hosts a festival involv-ing rafting, parasailing, trekking, gliding, moun-tain biking and fishing competitions. A visit toLunahuaná is a first-rate excuse to take in thenearby archaeological site of Incahuasi and thehanging bridge of Catapalla. Other attractionsinclude wine-tasting at local vineyards and theexotic regional cuisine, such as conejos a lacarapulcra (spicy jugged hare) and cuy al vino(guinea pig braised in wine).

2nd weekIcaWine FestivalA miracle in the desert

This festival is a celebration of the abundance ofgrapes and wine in the region of Ica (a four-hourdrive south of Lima), where persevering effortsin local vineyards have spread greenery acrossvast tracts of once bone-dry desert. The WineFestival (Festival de la Vendimia) involves fairs,competitions, processions of floats, musical fes-tivals and parties where guests dance the Afro-Peruvian festejo. One of the major attractions ofthe event is the Queen of the Wine Festivalbeauty pageant. Accompanied by her hand-maid-ens, the beauty queen treads grapes in a vat inthe time-honored tradition to extract the juicethat will eventually be fermented. Apart from thedelicious local sweets known as tejas, made frompecans or candied fruits, filled with caramel andcovered with sugar icing, those attending theevent can try pisco, the aromatic and tasty grapebrandy that originated in this part of southernPeru four centuries ago.

2nd half of March-1st week of AprilPorcón (Cajamarca)Cruces de PorcónThe symmetry of faith

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Weaving through the early mists that still shroudthe highlands just before dawn, an impressiveprocession of huge, colorful wooden crossesprogresses down the valley of Porcón to celebratethe triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem.Unlike other Easter Week celebrations, the onein this fun-loving village located half an hour byroad from the city of Cajamarca does not dwellon the death of Christ. On the main day of thefestival, Palm Sunday, four different ceremoniesare held: the crowning of the crosses, the greet-ing of the Lord at the home of the mayordomo(the person in charge of organizing the festivi-ties), the various responses sung in Quechua andLatin, and finally the procession to the planta-tion chapel. The crosses are decorated with roundand oval-shaped mirrors symbolizing the soulsof the dead, as well as figures representing theVirgin Mary, the Heart of Jesus and a wealth ofsymmetrically placed patron saints forming ahuge rhomboid. The locals hang metal bells fromthe corners to announce the arrival of the crossesto the community. During the imposing proces-sion of the crosses, angels dressed out in tur-quoise, yellow and pink, stride ahead, hangingonto the señorca, the donkey carrying the Lordof the Palms.

MARCH-APRIL2nd half of March-1st week of AprilAyacuchoEaster WeekThe fervor of Ayacucho

Easter week represents the peak of religious sen-timent for the people of the Andes. The depart-mental capital of Ayacucho, San Cristóbal deHuamanga, located in the central Andes at analtitude of 2.761 meters above sea level, cel-ebrates one of the most intense portrayals of thepassion, death and resurrection of Christ. Theweek starts out with the entry of Jesus into thecity riding on a donkey. On Wednesday, the im-ages of the Virgin Mary and Saint John are pa-raded in fervent processions through streets car-peted with flower petals until they meet up withthe litter bearing the image of Christ, whom they“greet” in the main square. On the evening ofHoly Friday, the lights of the city wink out togive way to the Christ of Calvary. The image setsout from the Monastery of Santa Clara in a pro-cession through the streets on a litter strewn withwhite roses, followed by the grieving Virgin Maryand lines of men and women strictly dressed inmourning bearing lit candles. The litter, which

features thousands of white candles, is simplymagnificent. The litter is then accompanied withprayers and songs throughout the night until thethree-hour sermon is delivered on Saturday. Af-ter days of grieving, Resurrection Sunday takeson a festive air, Christ is resurrected and appearsonce more on his litter and is carried throughthe streets.

2nd half of March-1st week of AprilCuzcoLord of the EarthquakesThe Black Christ and the Carmesí flower

Ever since 1.650, when the faithful claim that anoil painting of Christ on the Cross held off a dev-astating earthquake that was rattling the city ofCuzco, the locals have been rendering homage tothe image of Taitacha Temblores, the Lord of theEarthquakes. The celebration is held on EasterMonday against the backdrop of Easter Week inthe city of Cuzco. This celebration is of particu-lar interest because it allows onlookers to get aglimpse of the fusion of Andean religions andChristianity. The Cuzco Cathedral, where theimage is kept, is built on the foundations of theancient temple dedicated to the pagan god ApullaTikse Wiracocha. The image of the Lord of Earth-quakes is borne aloft in a procession through thestreets of the city just as the Incas used to pa-rade the mummies of their chieftains, high priestsand supreme rulers. In the end, the dominatingpart of the celebration involves the ñucchu flower(salvia esplendes), used as an offering to the an-cient gods Kon and Wiracocha. The same flowertoday is used to weave a crown for the Lord ofthe Earthquakes. This crimson colored flower,whose petals are scattered by the faithful overthe venerated image, symbolizes the blood ofChrist. The image used today was donated byKing Charles V, and despite centuries of smokefrom the candles and incense, no one has daredto restore the blackened painting, that has giventhe Christ a somber aspect and a dark counte-nance.

APRIL15-20Pachacámac (Lima)Peruvian Paso Horse FestivalThe dance of the stallions

The Spanish horse, bred with the Arab stallionand reared in a desert environment, whichformed its gait, gave rise to the Peruvian Pasohorse. For 300 years, the blood of this new breed

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was improved upon until the Paso horse devel-oped the characteristics that have made it one ofthe world’s most beautiful and elegant breeds.Breeders, chalán riders and artisans, over theyears, have worked on the art of ambladura –thesynchronized gait of the fore and hindlegs– whichin turn gave rise to the elegant steps and dressof the marinera. The entire costume comprisesthe saddle and trimmings and the splendid out-fit of the chalán himself (white shirt and trou-sers, wide-brimmed straw hat, vicuña wool pon-cho, handkerchief, boots and spurs). This tradi-tion, which has been exported all over the world,has been spurred on by a number of competitionsboth along the Peruvian coast as well as in thehighlands. The most important competition, how-ever, is the National El Paso Horse Competitionheld every year at the Mamacona stables nearPachacámac, located 30 km south of Lima.

MAY1Chapi (Arequipa)Virgen de ChapiThe stationary Virgin

Every year, thousands of pilgrims cross the desertfrom the city of Arequipa to the sanctuary ofChapi to worship the image of the Virgin of Puri-fication, today known as the Virgen de Chapi. In1790, the parish priest of Pocsi, Juan de Dios JoséTamayo, tried to move the small image to an-other community and failed, reportedly becausethe statue suddenly became too heavy to move.News of the miracle spread like wildfire, and to-day the faithful take around 15 hours to walk 45km through the night, leaning on rustic walkingstaffs to reach the deserted spot located at 2.420meters above sea level. Before the first stop, thepilgrims gather stones of varying sizes which theywill leave at Tres Cruces next to the road, form-ing the so-called apachetas which symbolize theweariness and sins that the faithful leave behindthem. The same thing occurs at Alto de Hornillaand then at Siete Toldos, 15 km from the spot,with countless candles flickering in the night. Thefollowing day, in Chapi, the virgin is borne aloftin a procession over carpets of flower petals. Atnight, next to the sanctuary, pilgrims set off fire-works and sell foodstuffs.

3Acobamba (Junín)Señor de MuruhuayThe stone face of Christ

Left to their fate by officials of the vice-regency,those sick with smallpox (muru: smallpox, huay:house) were allegedly healed by an image ofChrist that took shape on a stone slab at the footof Mount Shalacoto (2.959 meters above sealevel), and has remained there ever since. Thisspot, located in the district of Acobamba, 12 kmfrom the town of Tarma in the department ofJunín, is Peru’s foremost pilgrimage center. Thecelebration of this image abounds in pre-Hispanicrites dominated by elements such as water, earthand stone. Today, the worship rituals begin thenight before with a fireworks display. On themain day, after a Mass held in Quechua, the de-vout deposit a “letter to God”. Then everyone re-turns to Tarma in a procession headed by themayordomo (the organizer of the festivities), hiswife and troupes of dancers including thecaracolillos and negritos, who compete in dancessuch as the abrecalle and the chutos. After thedancing, everyone settles down to lunch featur-ing typical Andean dishes such as fried guineapig served with peanuts and beans. Over the fol-lowing days, the locals dance the famouschonguinada in the streets of Acobamba, thathave been carpeted in flower petals.

3Lima, Apurímac, Ayacucho,Junín, Ica, CuzcoFestival of the CrossesCatholic crosses, Andean spirits

This festival, which is widespread in the high-lands, is organized by the members of each com-munity who decorate their respective crosses andprepare then for the procession to neighboringchurches. The celebration is linked to givingthanks for bountiful harvests, a custom main-tained by peasant farmers since the pre-Hispanicera. The festival often features folk music shows

Chonguinada Dance, JuninAníbal Solimano / PromPerú

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involving danzantes de tijeras (scissors dancers).In ancient times, the danzaq or scissors dancerswould perform their daring feats on top of thechurch belltowers. Even today, the dancers striveto outdo each other, performing extraordinaryfeats of derring-do.

1st weekQuispicanchis (Cuzco)Qoyllur Rit’iThe greatest indigenous pilgrimage in theAmericas

Each year the people of the district of Ocongate(Quispicanchis) perform a ritual whose externalaspect appears to be the image of Christ, butwhose real objective is to bring Man closer toNature. The ritual, associated with the fertilityof the land and the worship of Apus, the spiritsof the mountains, forms part of the greatest fes-tival of native Indian nations in the hemisphere:Qoyllur Rit’i. The main ceremony is held at thefoot of Mount Ausangate, at 4.700 meters, wheretemperatures often plunge below freezing. Theritual brings thousands of pilgrims, includingshepherds, traders and the merely curious whogather at the shrine at Sinakara. Popular beliefhas it that the infant Christ, dressed as a shep-herd, appeared to a young highland Indian boy,Marianito Mayta, and they quickly becamefriends. When Mayta’s parents found themdressed in rich tunics, they informed the localparish priest, Pedro de Landa, who attempted invain to capture the infant Christ who had disap-peared and left behind only a stone. Marianitodied immediately, and the image of the Lord ofQoyllur Rit’i appeared on the stone. Today, thefestival starts off with the day of the Holy Trin-ity, when more than 10.000 pilgrims climb to thesnowline, accompanied by all sorts of dancers infull costume (chauchos, qollas, pabluchas orukukus) portray various mythical characters. Theukukus, or bears, are the guardians of the Lordand the Apu mountain spirits and apachetas,stone cairns built along the way by pilgrims toatone for their sins. The ukukus maintain orderduring religious ceremonies. A group of heftyqueros, members of what is probably Peru’s pur-est Quechua community, dress up as pabluchasand set out for the mountaintop, at 6.362 metersin search of the Snow Star which is reputedlyburied within the mountain. On their way backdown to their communities, they haul massiveblocks of ice on their backs for the symbolic irri-gation of their lands with holy water from theAusangate.

JUNE24CuzcoInti RaymiThe Inca festival of the Sun

The Winter Solstice in the southern hemisphereand the local harvests are the driving force be-hind the greatest, most majestic pre-Hispanicceremony to render homage to the sun. Today,the Inti Raymi festival evokes the splendid Incaritual of yore, being carefully scripted by Cuzcoprofessors, archaeologists and historians. Thecentral event is acted out on the esplanade be-low the imposing fortress of Sacsayhuamán, 2 kmoutside the city of Cuzco, easily reached by caror on foot. There, step by step, thousands of ac-tors enact a long ceremony giving thanks to thesun god, Inti. The Inca ruler is borne on a royallitter from the Koricancha, or Temple of the Sunto the Huacaypata, the city’s main square, wherehe commands the local authorities to governfairly. Then all the participants set out forSacsayhuamán, where the ceremony calls for thesacrifice of two llamas, one black and one white.The llamas’ entrails and fat are handed to a pairof high priests: the first, the Callpa Ricuy, exam-ines the intestines to predict what sort of yearlies ahead; while the second priest, theWupariruj, makes his predictions based on thesmoke that wafts up from the burning fat. Thehigh priests’ predictions are then interpreted bythe Willac Umo, the lord high priest, who bearsthe news to the Inca. Finally, at sunset, the Incaorders all to withdraw from the site, and the en-tire city breaks out into a festivities that will ragefor several days.

24Cuzco, Loreto, San Martín, UcayaliSan JuanFertility and sensuality

In the jungle, Saint John the Baptist has takenon a major symbolic significance because of theimportance of water as a vital element in theentire Amazon region. This is why June 24 (St.John’s the Baptist’s day) is the most importantdate on the festival calendar in the entire Peru-vian jungle. The northeastern city of Iquitos hostsa variety of festivals and public events: fiestaswith typical local bands where cooks dish up someof the regional cuisine, featuring tacacho (bakedbanana) and juanes (rice pastries), named afterthe patron saint, San Juan Bautista. This carni-

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val atmosphere, redolent with the warmth of thelocal hospitality, has given rise to the myth of aspecial sensuality to be found in Loreto. It iswidely held that the best aphrodisiacs are con-cocted in Iquitos, potions blended from fruits andherbs steeped in sugarcane alcohol, with strangeand suggestive names. The best-known is with-out a doubt the chuchuhuasi, fermented from alocal root. In the highlands, the festival is alsolinked to the concept of fertility, but here themain theme is livestock, something that is easilyassociated with the image of Saint John as thepastor of souls. On this day, livestock are countedand branded, and llamas are sometimes even theobject of prayer. In Cuzco, where peasant farm-ers used to bring their richly decorated sheep toMass, the tradition has been shifted to June 25,yielding to Inti Raymi.

29Chorrillos and Lurín (Lima), San José(Lambayeque)Saint Peter and Saint Paul(San Pedro & San Pablo)Patron saints of fishermen and farmers

Together with the communal task of dredgingirrigation ditches, highland communities cel-ebrate a veritable water festival. On the coast,fishing communities have chosen Saint Peter astheir patron saint, and render him homage inLima’s fishing districts of Chorrillos and Lurín,as well as in San José, located 13 km north of thecity of Chiclayo. The ceremony is held by themouth of the Lambayeque River, where legendhas it the founding god Naylamp landed on Pe-ruvian shores. The figure of the saint is bornealoft amidst burning incense, prayers and hymnsdown to the sea where it boards a fishing launchand is taken around the bay to bless the watersin the hope of a good fishing season.

Movable feastCuzcoCorpus ChristiThe procession of saints and virgins

The festival of Corpus Christi has been celebratedall over Peru since colonial times, but reaches ahigh point in Cuzco. Fifteen saints and virginsfrom various districts are borne in a processionto the Cathedral where they “greet” the body ofChrist embodied in the Sacred Host, kept in afabulous gold goblet weighing 26 kilos and stand-ing 1,2 meters high. Sixty days after Easter Sun-day, the members of each nearby church bear

their patron saint in a procession to the chimesof the María Angola, Peru’s largest church bell,forged in a copper-gold alloy in the sixteenth cen-tury by local artisan Diego Arias de Cerda. Atnight everyone gathers together, for an overnightvigil, where typical dishes such as chiriuchu(spicy guinea pig), beer, chicha and cornbread areserved. At dawn the procession sets off aroundthe main square, bearing the images of five vir-gins clad in richly embroidered tunics, plus theimages of four saints: Sebastian, Blas, Joseph andthe Apostle Santiago (Saint James) mounted ona beautiful white horse. Then the saints enterthe Cathedral to receive homage, time afterwhich representatives and authorities from vari-ous communities of Cuzco meet in the mainsquare to discuss local affairs. Finally, the del-egations return to the churches amidst hymnsand prayers.

JULY2nd week (15-16)Paucartambo (Cuzco)Virgen del CarmenMamacha Carmen

Four hours from Cuzco, in the town ofPaucartambo, thousands of devotees hold festi-vals in honor of the Virgen del Carmen, knownlocally as Mamacha Carmen, patron saint of themestizo population. The gathering, that raisesthe curtain on these days of celebrations is heldin the main square, where troupes of musiciansplay their instruments while richly dressed choirssing in Quechua. The setting gives way to a se-ries of ingenious choreographies that portrayevents in Peruvian history. For five days, dancecompanies in various costumes (Doctorcitos,Waca Waca, Sarjas) take to the streets to accom-pany the Mamacha throughout the entire pro-cession through the main square, the church andthe city streets. On the main day, the virgin isborne aloft in a procession to bless those presentand scare away demons. The dancers take to thehousetops, performing daring gymnastics, show-ing off their colorful Inca and colonial garb. Atthe end of the procession, war is waged on thedemons, from which the faithful emerge in tri-umph. Finally, the gathering ends up in the cem-etery to render homage to the souls of the dead.

28-29Pan-PeruvianIndependence DayPeru, free and independent

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Across the country, Peruvians throw parties andhold patriotic celebrations to remember the Dec-laration of Peru’s Independence (July 28, 1821)by the Libertador José de San Martín. In Limaand cities across Peru, even in remote communi-ties, homes fly the Peruvian flag from the startof July. On the night of July 27, Peruvians oftenstage serenatas to the strains of folk and Creolemusic in plazas and public parks. Dawn on July28 is greeted with a salvo of 21 cannons, to her-ald the ceremony of raising the flag. On the fol-lowing day, before the famous military parade isheld in downtown Lima, the Te Deum ceremony,attended by the president, is celebrated in theLima Cathedral. In various parts of the country,Peruvians also hold agricultural and livestockfairs (Cajamarca, Piura, Monsefú) together withthree festivals that are the soul of Creole culture:cockfighting, bullfighting and Peruvian pasohorse exhibitions.

26-30Cotabambas (Apurímac)Yawar FiestaThe struggle between the bulland the condor

In the village of Ccollurqui, in the province ofCotabambas, Apurímac, an eight-hour drive fromthe city of Abancay up a dirt road, the locals cel-ebrate Independence Day with a bullfight whosesymbolic characteristics have turned it into aritual. Taking part are a bull and a condor, por-traying the Spanish and Andean worlds, respec-tively. Once the condor has been trapped, it islashed to the bull’s back, which the bird pecks atsavagely in a bid to free itself. At the same time,the bull is released in the ring and surroundedby spontaneous bullfighterswho fend off the ani-mal with their ponchos. The bull, maddened withpain, leaps into the air trying to rid itself of thecondor. Finally, when the bull has been overcome–and it usually is– the condor is set free amidstmusic and general rejoicing. If the condor is badlywounded, or dies, it is taken as an omen for thevillage. At night, dancers take to the streets, fire-works are set off and the villagers stage a torchlitprocession.

AUGUST30City of Lima and Quives (Lima), Ocopa(Junín) and ArequipaSanta Rosa de LimaPatron Saint of the Americasand the Philippines

Saint Rose of Lima (Santa Rosa de Lima) wasthe name given to a seventeenth-century inhab-itant of Lima. Isabel Flores de Oliva felt a greatreligious vocation and dedicated herself to beinga laywoman, without belonging to any religiousorder in particular. She was to spend her life car-ing for the sick and her penitence undertaken toresist sin, as well as her good nature earned herfame even while she was alive. Veneration of herfigure spread not only in Peru but also to thePhilippines. Her shrine, located in downtownLima, is constantly visited by pilgrims in searchof a miracle, especially those seeking to cure anillness. On August 30, pilgrims often cast lettersdetailing their needs into the wishing well whereSaint Rose dropped the key from her cilice. Oth-ers visit the hermitage that the saint herself built.Saint Rose is the patron saint of Peru. Althoughher festival is celebrated across the country, ithas a special Quechua emphasis in the town ofSanta Rosa de Quives, in the highlands of thedepartment of Lima.

SEPTEMBER6-10Andahuaylas (Apurímac)Virgen de CocharcasThe traveling Virgin

The Virgen de Cocharcas is a carved replica com-missioned in 1598 by Sebastián Quimichi, one ofthe local faithful. Born in San Pedro deCocharcas, Quimichi had the figure made to showgratitude for miracles granted by the Virgin ofCopacabana, in Bolivia. The festival is organizedby the virgin’s local followers, known asquimichos (from Quimichi), who bear the figurealoft on a procession through the streets of thedistrict of Cocharcas, in Andahuaylas. Other rep-licas of the same image are led in pilgrimage toother cities outside of the department ofApurímac. These pilgrimages, toward the citiesof Cusco and Huamanga (Ayacucho), are carriedout amid songs, music and prayers, after thecrops. She is known as the Traveling Virgin andis associated with the rains and the fertility ofthe earth.

Final weekTrujillo (La Libertad)International Spring FestivalEvergreen

The festival of spring is celebrated all over Peru,with especially colorful variants in the jungle.However Trujillo, capital of the department of

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La Libertad, has forged a particular reputationfor holding the festival of greatest splendor. Thefestival is intimately linked to the marineranorteña, which is always danced by a couple, wav-ing a handkerchief in the air to keep time. Thefestival features various tournaments demon-strating the regional variations of this dance.During the week-long festival, streets and homesfill with decorations, floats are paraded throughthe city, and troupes of schoolchildren dancethrough the streets, led by the beauty queen ofthe spring pageant. The beauty queen is alwaysflanked by drum majorettes who travel here fromall over the world to show off their skills.

OCTOBER4Lima, Ancash, Apurímac,Arequipa and CuzcoVirgen del RosarioMoors vs. Christians

The Virgen del Rosario is the patron saint of theDominican Order, who were in charge of the slavebrotherhoods in colonial times. This is why theimage of the saint is often accompanied by anicon featuring the letter “S” pinned on by a nail,symbolizing the black slaves. Worship of the saintdates back to 1536, and the festival is celebratedall over Peru. On the first Sunday of October, inCajatambo, in the highlands of the departmentof Lima, the locals hold an agricultural fair, bull-fights, marinera competitions and a processionfeaturing Los Diablos (demons) as the main danceact. In the district of Urcos, in the province ofQuispicanchis, as well as in Combate andChecaupe, in the province of Canchis, departmentof Cuzco, locals celebrate the date with proces-sions, bullfights and pachamancas, a dish pre-pared in underground pits and cooked over hotstones. The center of all Virgen del Rosario cel-ebrations however is the northern Andean de-partment of Ancash. The celebrations are high-lighted by the presence of pallas, ladies dressedin costumes with wide sleeves and tall crowns offlowers, and the famous negritos, dancers dressedin black wool masks who liven up the celebra-tion. This festival features a symbolic confronta-tion between the Moors, locals dressed in Andeancostume, and the Christians, who are dressed inSpanish outfits harking back to colonial times.The battle ends when the Moorish kings, havingbeen vanquished and taken prisoner, repent andbeg to be converted to Christianity. As dusk falls,

the virgin’s procession sets off back to church,accompanied by bands of musicians.

Second weekAyabaca (Piura)Señor Cautivo de AyabacaThe sweet countenance of the Lord

Every year, thousands of the faithful from vari-ous parts of northern Peru and even Ecuador setout on a pilgrimage to Ayabaca, a town 211 kmnortheast of the northern coastal city of Piura.On the main day of the festival, a procession ofthe image of the Captive Christ (Señor Cautivode Ayabaca) through the town streets, which havebeen previously decorated with carpets of flowerpetals. Before the Spanish Conquest, peasantsin the same spot placed offerings at the templesof Aypate and La Huaca. The devout have a firmbelief in the miracles that the image is said tohave performed in healing the sick. Its origindates back to 1751, when a Spanish priest hadthe image carved, featuring a disconcerting ex-pression, a blend of sweetness and mystery.

18-28LimaThe Lord of MiraclesThe largest procession in South America

This procession, which gathers together the larg-est number of believers in South America, datesback to colonial times, when a slave, brought overfrom Angola, drew the image of a black Christon the walls of a wretched hut in the plantationof Pachacamilla, near Lima. The image stayedon the wall despite several attempts to erase it.This was to spark widespread devotion for theimage, which survived intact on the wall despitean earthquake in 1746 which leveled all sur-rounding buildings. As a result of this event,worship of the image rose to new heights, until itbecame what is today the most widely veneratedimage in the city of Lima. The heart of the cel-ebration is one of the largest processions to takeplace every year in the Americas, where tens ofthousands of the faithful dress in purple tunics,singing hymns and praying as they accompanythe image. The litter which bears the paintingweighs two tons and is borne on the shoulders ofbelievers who set out on the traditional 24-hourprocession from the church of Las Nazarenas,crossing downtown Lima until it reaches thechurch of La Merced in Barrios Altos. Around

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this time of year, the streets fill with vendors ofa wide variety of typical dishes and sweets, suchas the famous Turrón de Doña Pepa. In Octoberto commemorate the Lord of Miracles (Señor delos Milagros), Lima hosts the well-known bull-fight season which carries the same name and isheld in the centuries-old Plaza de Acho bullring.The season features some major bullfighters(toreros) from Spain and Latin America.

3rd weekIcaSeñor de LurenThe Christ of the desert

The origin of the devotion for the crucified Christof Luren (Señor de Luren), patron of the city ofIca (300 km south of Lima), dates back to 1570,when the image was mysteriously lost in thedesert during a trip from Lima to Ica, before re-appearing in a desolate outpost called Luren.Later, Nicolás de Ribera the Elder, Lima’s first

mayor, had a small church built in this spot aswell as a hospital for highland Indians. Today,the modern church, built in a Romanticist style,houses the carved wooden image of the dyingChrist, as well as those of the Virgin Mary andMary Magdalene. On the main day of the festi-val, Sunday, the image is borne aloft in a proces-sion through the city from nightfall until dawnthe following day.

NOVEMBER1-2All Saints Day and Day of the DeadPan-PeruvianSpeaking to the souls of the departed

On these days, which are dedicated to thememory of the dead, Peruvians tend to attendMass and then in coastal communities, head tothe cemetery, bringing flowers and in the high-lands, food to share symbolically with the soulsof the dead. The worship of the dead was a com-mon and respected custom during pre-Hispanictimes in Peru, and part of that tradition, com-bined with Christian elements, still lives on to-day. In the village of La Arena, in Piura, the lo-cals head for the main square in the morningbringing their children dressed in their Sundaybest. Also attending are relatives who have losta very young child or niece or nephew. Whenthese people meet a child who looks like the de-ceased, they give him or her small breadrolls,candied sweet potato or coconut and other sweetswrapped in finely-decorated bags, which arecalled “angels”. At night, the relatives hold acandlelight vigil in the cemetery until dawn onNovember 2. In Arequipa and Junín the bags of“angels” are replaced by breadrolls in the shapeof babies, called t’anta wawas.

DECEMBER24 y 25Pan-PeruvianAndean ChristmasA time of integration and artistic splendor

The rural context of the arrival of the infantChrist allowed early Peruvians to identify im-mediately with the festivity, highlighted by arti-san creativity, a sense of aesthetics and the reli-gious devotion of Andean settlers. Andean Christ-mas began taking on characteristics of its ownby adding elements from each region. These ele-ments stand out for the extreme care with which

Lord of Miracles procession, LimaPromPerú

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highlanders put together Nativity scenes inchurches and homes, perform dances and plays,cook typical dishes and produce a wide range ofhandicrafts such as Nativity scenes in Huamangastone, retablos featuring images related to Christ-mas and pottery or carved gourds called matesburilados decorated with Yuletide scenes. In mostAndean communities, the festival continues un-til la Bajada de los Reyes (the arrival of the threewise men), January 6, when traditionally peopleexchange gifts.

24CuzcoSanturanticuy FairSaints for sale

The origin of this fair dates back to the Vice-re-gency, and today has become one of the largestarts and crafts fairs in Peru. It is held in the mainsquare of Cuzco, where artisans lay out blanketson the sidewalks, as is the custom in traditionalAndean fairs. Santuranticuy, which means“saints for sale”, is a provisional market whereimage carvers and artisans sell a wide variety offigurines to liven up Christmas and fit out theNativity scenes that are set up in homes andparish churches. The fair also sells a variety ofceramic objects brought from Pucará and Quinua.Here one can find all sorts of arts and crafts, suchas wooden carvings, pottery and the boxed scenescalled retablos. At night, street vendors sell atraditional hot and sweet rum punch calledponche, to warm up chilly visitors.

27El Guayabo and El Carmen(Chincha, Ica)Virgen del CarmenThe little peon

The Virgen del Carmen is the most widely ven-erated image in Peru after the Lord of Miracles.

Its worship dates back to colonial times whenfriars from the Carmeline Order arrived. In vari-ous communities in Ica (300 km south of Lima)as well as the areas of El Carmen and El Guayaboin Chincha (200 km south of Lima), home to mostof Peru’s Afro-Peruvian population, the localsrender a special homage to the virgin at the endof every year. What is unique about this festivalis that here it is called La Peoncita (the little peon)for its link with teenagers who perform thedances called los negritos and las pallitas, inhonor of the Virgin.

COCA LEAF AND OFFERINGS TO THEEARTH GODDESSThe mystique of fertility

Pre-Columbian religions have lived on as part ofancestral rites that link Man with Nature, par-ticularly in the Andean world, rites that take onmajor symbolic importance. The Pachamama orMother Earth, goddess of fertility, lives inUrkhupacha, or the inner world, whose fruits sheoffers up to feed mankind. This is why, withinthe reciprocal logic of the Andes, during Augustthe villagers make offerings (known as pagos orpagapus). The offering consists of coca leaves,unworked silver, chicha, wine and jungle seedsattributed with symbolic and magic powers calledhuayruros. The same offering is made to theApus, the spirits of their ancestors who are saidto live within the mountains. Coca, a sacred plantwhich served to mediate between the inner world(the Apus and the Pachamama) and the exteriorworld (Man) can be found in countless mestizoreligious ceremonies in communities in the prov-inces and even in the cities. The leaves, whenchewed and mixed with saliva to form a wad inthe mouth (a process called chakchar), help theuser forget his weariness while working. Spreadover a blanket on the ground, coca leaves are alsoread to predict the future.

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TThanks to archaeological discoveries of musicalinstruments, we now know that in Peru, musicdates back at least 10.000 years.

This ancient tradition produced the quena flute,zampoña pan-pipe and pututo trumpet madefrom a sea conch, in addition to a host of windinstruments crafted from cane, mud, bone, ani-mal horns and precious metals, as well as a vari-ety of percussion instruments.

As a result of the New World’s contact with theWest, vast numbers of new instruments wereincorporated into Peru’s music, although manywere creatively adapted to the rhythmic andmelodic necessities of each region. A clear ex-ample of this can be seen in the many transfor-mations that have changed the shape of the harp,the violin and the guitar in the Peruvian high-lands.

The coming together of the Andean and Westernworlds gave birth to more than 1.300 types ofmusic. But two of these types reached beyondtheir regional boundaries and have become veri-table symbols of Peru’s identity: the huayno andthe marinera. A blend of joyous nature and nos-talgia, the huayno has carved out a position asthe basis for the creation of contemporaryrhythms on the strength of its simple and flex-ible musical structure.

The marinera, which unlike the huayno is notsuch a universal rhythm, features variations thatare clearly differentiated along the coast and inthe highlands, and thanks to its musical beautyand stirring choreography, it is widely dancedacross the country.

The festive nature of the African migrant has alsohelped to enrich Peru’s musical panorama: Peru’sblack population invented the cajón and discov-ered the uses of the quijada, the donkey’s jaw-bone, as a percussion instrument.

The jungle region is also home to a variety ofrhythms, dances and instruments linked to fes-tivals and rituals, such as the use of themanguaré (a hollow trunk), called a “semioticdrum” as it can be used to send messages over

great distances in the jungle.

Today, Peru is still assimilating new instruments–synthesizers, electric guitars, drums and har-monicas– while continuing to create new musi-cal styles like chicha. This has allowed Peruvianmusic to open up to fresh influences, spreadacross the country and abroad, beyond that spaceusually reserved for local music.

This capacity for fusion and musical innovationclearly expresses the integrating force and dy-namic nature of Peruvian culture.

The Marinera and the Cajón

The MarineraThe marinera is a spin-off from the zamacuecaand the mozamala. In 1893, Abelardo Gamarra“El Tunante” dubbed the dance the “marinera”in honor of naval hero Miguel Grau during a pi-ano concert performed by a little girl, who laterin life was to work hard to spread the popularityof the dance, Doña Rosa Mercedes Ayarza de Mo-rales. This encounter gave birth to the best-known marinera, “la Decana”, later rebaptizedas “La Concheperla”. Since then, the marinerahas gradually conquered the hearts and mindsof Peruvians everywhere. In 1938, the marinerawas performed for the first time at Lima’s TeatroMunicipal in the Independence Day concert. To-day, marinera festivals are held all over Peru,the best-known of which is the festival staged inTrujillo in January. The dance has several dif-ferent styles, differentiated by their region:marinera costeña (coast), serrana (highlands) andnorteña (north). It is danced forcefully by acouple, featuring a series of elegant movementsand a highly complex choreography involving co-ordinated and synchronized movements. Bothdancers hold a handkerchief in their handthroughout the entire dance, which highligths thecourting couple, despite the fact that here is neverany physical contact between the two.

The CajónThis instrument, of Afro-Peruvian origin, isplayed in most coastal variations of the marinera,as well as in Creole music (música criolla) andAfro music in general. Crafted from a woodenbox, the cajón relies on a sound-hole carved in

Dances and Instruments

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the back. The cajón player sits on top and rapsout a rhythm directly with his palms. Albeit asimple-looking instrument, the cajón has begunto make waves abroad, even being incorporatedinto flamenco.

The Huayno and the Quena

The HuaynoUnquestionably Peru’s premier Andean dance.The huayno’s pre-Columbian origins have beenmodified by the assimilation of Western influ-ences, which is why today there are many re-gional variations. Its musical structure derivesfrom a pentatonic base with a binary rhythm, astructural characteristic that enabled this musi-cal style to become the basis of hybrid rhythms,from chicha to Andean rock. Huayno is dancedin pairs, who swerve and turn, making short hopsand performing thunderous footwork in thezapateo. Instruments pressed into the band toplay the huayno include the quena flute,charango (Andean guitar), harp and violin. Somevariations of the huayno are performed to thestrains of the equivalent of a marching band,which have added instruments such as trumpets,saxophone and accordion. At the same time, al-though they are different musical styles, theearthy sensitivity of the huayno is linked moreto the marinera than is apparent. One only hasto listen to the refrain from a highland marinera:“there is no marinera without huayno/nor huaynowithout marinera / little highland girl in thegreen skirt/this third part’s for you”.

The QuenaPeru’s most widely-played wind instrument, thequena dates back to the pre-Hispanic era. Madefrom a hollow tube of cane, wood, bone or plastic,the quena features a chiseled mouthpiece. Theinstrument is pierced with five or six soundholeswhich produce the notes depending on the com-bination of fingers and how the musician blowsinto the instrument. Each region has come upwith its own size quena.

The Huaylarsh and the Harp

The HuaylarshThis rhythm and its dance is linked to the joyfulfiestas that are held at harvest time in the cen-tral highlands. The energy and vivacious natureof the huaylarsh are highlighted by the leaps anddemonstrations of agility by the male dancers,while the women perform nimble footwork orzapateo. During the choreography, the group of

dancers break up into pairs to show their skill ina light-hearted competition. Instruments used inthe bands include harps, violins, saxophones,clarinets, trumpets and bombo drums.

The HarpThis stringed instrument is shaped like a conewith a large soundhole. The arpa (harp) is ofWestern origins and has become highly popularin Peru, especially in the Andes, where it is widelyplayed for its versatile ability to come up withhigh-pitched sounds. The harp has been modi-fied and adapted in several regions, both in shapeand tuning.

The Festejo and the Quijada

The FestejoThis Afro-Peruvian dance is wildly popular alongthe central coast. Danced in pairs, it features in-sinuating movements, yet avoids physical con-tact. The joyful and suggestive movements, joy-ful and pretty steamy, irradiate body languagethat is redolent with sensuality. Backing instru-ments include the guitar, cajón and quijada, andare accompanied by a lead singer and backingvocalists.

The QuijadaThe creative nature of Afro-Peruvian musicianhas turned the lower jawbone of a donkey, muleor horse into a surprisingly effective percussioninstrument. It is held with one hand and bangedwith the fist of the other in time to the beat. Theunique sound of the quijada, which is producedby the jawbone’s rattling molars, is amplified inthe bone structure itself.

Carnival and the Mandolin

CarnivalThis is a dance that, with regional variations, isperformed all over Peru, particularly in the ru-ral areas of Puno, Cajamarca and the Amazon.The dance involves troupes or comparsas whotake to the streets together with the musicians.The lyrics, which usually follow a rhyming pat-tern, are often bawdy, satirical and irrepressiblyjoyful. Instruments include guitars, accordions,mandolins, Andean percussion (tinyas and tam-bourines) and charangos.

The MandolinOf European origin, and similar to the lute, themandolin has undergone a series of changes inPeru, both in material and its soundhole, as well

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as in the number of strings. It is frequently playedtogether with the guitar, forming duos to playhuaynos and other musical styles popular in thehighlands.

The Santiago and the Tinya

The SantiagoThis musical style stems from shepherd customs.The Santiago is played in Andean ceremoniessuch as cattle branding and fertility rituals heldfor the herd. On these occasions, the musicians,especially women, perform a series of propitia-tory songs featuring a simple rhythm yet of greatsensivity. Instruments often include the tinyaand the wakrapuko, or trumpet made from acow’s horn.

The TinyaThis percussion instrument is a small hand-helddrum made from leather. It is widely played inthe Andes, mainly by women. It is used in ban-quets, for dancers and ceremonies dealing withfarm life, especially during the harvest seasonand cattle-branding.

Creole Waltz and the Guitar

Creole Waltz or Vals CriolloThis Creole version of the Viennese waltz isdanced in pairs who hold each other’s hands inan unfinished embrace, and features tightly in-tertwined movements in a style created by Limaresidents in the nineteenth century. The dancespread through the urban middle class as a signof their romantic yearning for their Lima thatwas rapidly changing. Instruments include theguitar and cajón.

The GuitarThis is probably the most widely-played instru-ment in Peru. The most common shape is theSpanish classical guitar, but there are at least10 different types found in Peru, all varying inshape, material and number of strings. Tuningalso varies according to region. The guitar is of-ten accompanied by several other instrumentsdepending on the musical style and is played toaccompany vals criollo, marinera, festejo, huayno,zamacueca, tondero and even chicha.

The Sikuri and the Zampoña

El SikuriThis is the somewhat martial dance of theSikuris, a people who originated in the Andean

tundra region called the Altiplano. It is dancedin several groups forming troupes or comparsaswhich are organized in large circles around mu-sicians playing zampoñas of varying sizes. Thechoreography displays the complementary andharmonic nature that should be present in allhuman integration, as one group can only playhalf the notes, making the other group indispens-able for the full melody.

The ZampoñaA member of the pan-pipe family, this instrumentis made of a cluster of different sized cane tubesbound together, forming one or two rows. Thesize of the tube determines the musical note itemits. The instrument comes in different regionalvariations, featuring canes of different size, num-ber and shape. The zampoña is commonly playedin festivities in southern Peru, especially in thedepartment of Puno. One of the variations is theantara, which is crafted from the finest caneavailable.

The Harawi and the Charango

The HarawiAlso known as the yaraví, this is a musical stylewhose melodies are redolent with sadness andlonging. The harawi is believed to be the oldestmusical style in Peru’s repertoire, and dates fromthe form of poetry recited in the Inca era. Thesomewhat drowsy music is interrupted by fre-quent periods of silence that lend a dramatic airto the piece. This rhythm is generally not danced,unless it is tacked onto a huayno or marinera,which often occurs in some of its mestizo varia-tions. Backing instruments include the charango,mandolin and quena.

The CharangoThis instrument is a hybrid of the classical gui-tar, although smaller than the original. Thecharango has 10 strings in five double coursesand features a body made from an armadilloshell, or kirkincho, although charangos are alsomade out of wood. It is widely played in the south-ern Andes.

Danzantes de TijerasPhysical agility and ritual challenge

From the Western point of view, the danza detijeras, or scissors dance, is basically an impres-sive display of art and physical dexterity. Butfor the Andean inhabitants or mestizos who livein highland communities, it is above all a com-

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plex ritual. An air of mystery surrounds thedanzaq, the dancers, who in a show of strengthand flexibility, put their skill to the test withgymnastic leaps to the strains of the harp andthe violin. Priests in colonial times claimed thedancers’ magical halo was the result of an allegedpact with the Devil, due to the surprising featsthey performed during the dance. These feats,called atipanakuy, include sword-swallowing,sticking pins into their faces, eating insects, frogsand even snakes amongst other Fakir-like acts.The central instrument of the dance is the pairof scissors, made from two separate sheets ofmetal around 25 cm long which together take theshape of round-bladed scissors. The dance is mostcommonly performed in Ayacucho, Apurímac,Arequipa, the Ica highlands, Huancavelica andLima.

Chicha or Peruvian CumbiaA new musical style dominatesSouth AmericaChicha is a new musical style which is fast be-coming popular over much of South America.Although it has added influences of rock andother contemporary rhythms, the two musicalstyles that have given rise to chicha (also knownas Peruvian cumbia) are the huayno and theColombian cumbia. The rhythm has not onlyspread like wildfire across Peru, it has also be-come popular in neighboring countries such asArgentina, Chile, Bolivia and Colombia. Themain characteristic of this rhythm, which hasbecome a hit largely in Spanish American circles,is that it is constantly mixing with new rhythms,both modern and traditional, as well as the use

of an enormous variety of instruments, largelyelectric.

Whistling GourdsSounds and voices from the PastMany sounds and instruments that are currentlyfound in melodies and rhythms played in Perutoday date back to the country’s pre-Hispanicpast. Apart from percussion, the most commonlyplayed instruments were winds, that includedwhistles, quenas, antaras and trumpets, usedeven today, and huacos silbadores, whistlinggourds that can be seen in museums such asLima’s Museo de Arqueología, Antropología eHistoria. These odd-looking instruments, whichwere recovered from temples, chieftains’ palaces,the funeral shrouds of warriors and children’stombs, also had decorative and symbolic functionsand were linked to ritual ceremonies: gourds withsounds that ranged from 33-50 hundredths of asemitone represented human beings, those thatranged from 80-100 portrayed sacrificial victims,and those with sounds that were spaced by 25hundredths of a semitone represented supernatu-ral beings.

In general, whistling gourds feature two acous-tic chambers linked together, with a series ofsoundholes in a row with different sizes that en-abled the musician to vary the pitch like a flutedepending on how he blew into the gourd. In somegourds, the acoustic chamber not only amplifieswhen the musician blows, it also produces soundswhen liquids such as water or chicha are pouredfrom one chamber to another.

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PPeruvian artisanry ranks possibly amongst themost varied arts and crafts found on Earth. Proofof this stems from the growing network of ex-porters who each year exhibit the creativity ofPeruvian artists on markets in Europe, Asia andNorth America. The diversity, color, creativityand multiple uses of Peruvian craftwork make ita fundamental activity not just to forge Peru’sidentity, but also ensure the survival of thousandsof families, and even entire communities such asSarhua and Quinua in Ayacucho. These smallworks of folk art that have sparked the admira-tion of all and are the legacy of centuries of his-tory imbued with pre-Hispanic forms and sym-bols, that blending with or surviving alongsideother art forms brought over by the Spaniards.This multiple and complex identity is paradoxi-cally one of the reasons for the marked tendencyof Peruvian artisanry to approach modern naïfart, giving creations a touch of tenderness andinnocent wisdom.The high standards of qualityof Peruvian artisanry can be appreciated in theharmony of the geometric designs weaved intotextiles, the painstaking detail in the scenes ofeveryday farming life carved into the gourdscalled mates burilados and the cultural meltingpot to be found in the colorful boxed scenes calledretablos. It is also found in the bizarre cosmicvision of Shipibo jungle Indian patterns, the finecarvings done in Huamanga stone, the fleetingwonder of the carpets made from flower petals,fireworks and giant wax candles, the complexBaroque style in wooden carvings, the beauty ingold and silverwork, and the countless formstaken on by the clay used in pottery. But theseworks of art are just one side of a people who

communicate principally through their art, us-ing a language based on the key elements of abun-dance, fertility and faith in the future.

FLEETING ART

One of the greatest and most mysterious attrac-tions of fleeting art is the arduous, patient effortto create beauty that lasts just a few minutes andeven seconds. These art forms include thosewhose work can only be glimpsed for a short spaceof time, despite being works of art that have takena great deal of time and creativity to put together.

FireworksThe ancient art of fireworks is deep-rooted incommunities in the highlands and along thecoast, where artisans have wrought local varia-tions such as images of giant flowers and ani-mals. It is impossible to imagine a festival inhonor of a patron saint without a dazzling dis-play of fireworks.

Carpets of Flower PetalsPut together for big processions both in the high-lands and along the coast, vast floral decorationsare laid out on the streets of many cities andtowns where the procession of the patron saintis to pass. The color of the flowers and the per-fection of the motifs, generally saints, shields,maps, landscapes and all sorts of animals put to-gether with great dedication, are aimed at pro-viding a fleeting splendor before being crushedby thousands of marching feet during the pro-cessions.

T’anta WawasAnother technique which is practically an artform is the baking and preparation of t’antawawas, or decorated breads. The wheatflourbreads represent a wide variety of motifs suchas children (wawas), families, homes, crowns offlowers and animals. Styles range from impec-cable simplicity to decoration that is quite com-plex. Every year in Lima, a t’anta wawas compe-tition is held on All Saints Day. The departmentsof Junín, Arequipa, Cuzco and Huancavelica(Center and South of Peru) generally prepare thebest prizewinners.

Arts & Crafts & Folk Art

Artisan of Olave at work, CuzcoJorge Sarmiento / PromPerú

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Candles and Giant Wax CandlesWax art is another art form that is directly linkedto religious worship. Cuzco, Ayacucho, Huaraz,Arequipa and Lima produce vast numbers ofcandles and decorated cirios, giant wax candleswith religious motifs. During the Easter Weekprocession in Ayacucho, the litters used to carrythe saints have their base richly decorated withwax figures. The most common motifs are flow-ers, leaves, the faces of saints, angels and barn-yard animals. But the most common items in fes-tivals all over Peru are candles and cirios, whichcome in a range of sizes and decorations. Duringthe festival of the Lord of Miracles (Señor de losMilagros), the variety and decoration of thecandles is impressive: it is a moving sight to seethe cirios candles lit next to the image of the blackChrist in the church of Las Nazarenas in down-town Lima.

FUNERAL ART

The tradition of funeral art in Peru was first madeevident in gravestone paintings. In the cemeteryof Chilca, 60 km south of Lima, one can take in avariety of styles beginning with the reproductionof classical Western religious paintings, whichlater gave way to the portrayal of scenes of thedaily lives of the deceased. Another place wherefuneral picture art is already a tradition is Puno,where artists paint scenes of the nether world.Similarly, in Cajamarca, in the areas ofHuambocancha and Porcón, cemeteries are filledwith gravestones carved in quarried stone withimages of miniature church façades in a varietyof warm colors. This art form also includes therise of a folk style of funeral architecture in cem-eteries in Lima’s outlying districts. These cem-eteries have recreated, in scale model form,houses, churches and even entire villages.

POTTERY

Pottery is one of the most widespread art formsto be found in Peru. Ancient pre-Hispanic tech-niques used by the Vicús, Recuay and Pashashcultures, as well as styles known as Colombianand negative painting (by limiting the flow ofoxygen in the furnace) are used today in the com-munity of Chulucanas (located in Piura) and inthe northern jungle by natives of the Arabelascommunity. Another technique used in Simbilá,Piura, as well as in Mollepampa, Cajamarca, isthat of paleteo, where the potter shapes the claywith his hands and by beating it with a spatula.Utilitarian and decorative pottery produced in

Chulucanas –particularly in the district of LaEncantada, where 250 artisans have been regis-tered– is one of the finest to be found in Peru. Ithas gained its fame from the fine motifs craftedby potters in the use of the black color and theglazing of their urns, as well as the portrayal oftypical local characters (chicha vendors, musi-cians and dancers) and animals that spring fromthe hand-worked clay. Pottery is heavily tradedin the markets of Cuzco, Juliaca (Puno), Arequipaand a network of arts and crafts centers and fairsheld in Lima.

Ayacucho PotteryIn Quinua, a village located 40 km fromAyacucho, pottery is the town’s main activity. Thequality of the red and cream-colored clay lendthese works a unique characteristic. Despite theirsimple, almost childish forms, they are highlyexpressive. Quinua is best-known for ceramicpieces such as small churches, chapels, housesand bulls called the toro de Quinua. Local pot-ters have also become popular for figures suchas peasant farmers, gossiping neighbors and avariety of religious themes.

Puno PotteryThe best-loved ceramic figure to come out of Punois the torito de Pucará, the ceramic bull that isone of Peru’s best-known pieces of pottery. Thefigurine was originally made as a ritual elementduring the cattle-branding ceremony. The bullfigure, which is also a flask, was used to hold thechicha which was mixed with the blood of cattleand drunk by the high priest conducting the cer-emony. Puno potters also make churches, coun-try chapels and homes, whose apparently unas-suming design is covered with a white glaze. Thefigures are decorated with flowers and dashes ofground glass. Other common motifs include mu-sicians, dancers and various elements of flora andfauna from the Lake Titicaca area.

Cuzco PotteryCuzco’s pottery is heavily influenced by Inca tra-dition. In a movement that has revitalized Cuzcoart, known as Inca Renaissance, potters havecreated a vast collection of pieces. These includethe Tica Curuna (a flower motif), ppucus (dishes)and various types of colorful crockery, such askeros, arybalos, qochas, ayanas and raquis. An-other trend in pottery is the so-called “grotesque”tradition, originally created by artisan ErilbertoMérida, and apparently inspired by the figuresin Quinua pottery. This style comprises rough,unpolished figurines such as peasants and

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Christs, with deformed and even tormented fa-cial features with oversized hands.

Shipibo PotteryIn the jungle, in addition to the Arabela, theShipibo women living around the Ucayali Riverproduce pottery from a highly malleable claycalled neapo. The most common decorative mo-tifs include the well-known geometric lines ordesigns, which artisans use to represent theirvision of the world. The most elaborate objectsinclude globets carved into shapes that are half-human, half-beast, which take on different posi-tions, showing clearly-defined sexes. The pottersalso frequently craft huge jars shaped like ani-mals such as tortoise and some of the local birdspecies.

BASKETS AND STRAW ARTICLES

This art form includes straw hats and basketswoven from native reed species such as carrizo,junco and totora. Baskets and hats are producedmainly in the departments of San Martín, Piuraand Cajamarca, while totora reed is largely usedin La Libertad and Lambayeque to make the reedrafts called caballitos de totora, vessels used forthousands of years by fishermen in the seasidecommunity of Huanchaco, near Trujillo.

IMAGES

This art form dates back to artisan traditionsduring the Vice-regency, and involves the cre-ation of objects linked to religious and even magi-cal ceremonies. The departments of Ayacucho,Cuzco and Huancavelica produce the greatestvariety of figures. These traditional images in-clude the retablo de San Marcos or cajón, crosses,saints, Nativity scenes, the Holy Family and themany different portrayals of the infant Christ.These figures are made from a variety of materi-als, including dough made from potatoes, med-lar seeds, plaster, glued cloth and maguey, thelocal fruit. The most common images producedby this art-form include religious images withlong, stylized necks created by artisan HilarioMendívil and his wife Georgina in the artists’quarter of San Blas in Cuzco.

MasksMany Andean dances use masks as part of thedancer’s costume. The most common motifs in-clude demons, angels, blacks (negritos), Span-iards (españoles) and all kinds of animals. Themost important exhibition of masks is held in the

southern Andes, such as during the festival ofthe Virgen de la Candelaria. Junín is anothermajor producer of masks, while a rich varietylinked to myths and customs of jungle villages ismanufactured in the Amazon area, like for ex-ample in the Bora community in Loreto.

Masks are made from a range of materials thatare as varied as their place of origin: plaster,leather, wood, wire sheeting and tin. The mosttypical masks include those of the Piro culture,the parlampán (picaresque characters of the areaof Huaral), the auquis of Ancash, the jija huanca(styled from gargoyle heads), the huacones of thecentral highlands and the famous demons of theseven deadly sins of Puno.

RetablosTiny human figures, animals from the highlands,images of Christian saints and pre-Columbiangods, stars, mountains and lakes are just someof the elements found in the colorful world por-trayed by the cajón or retablo de San Marcos.This art form, brought over from Spain, datesback to the dawn of Western civilization and waspreceded by Roman portable images made up ofthree slabs that closed over each other. In therest of Europe, this art form was known by thename of frontpieces, giving way to the monumen-tal friezes that featured in church altars betweenthe thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. The clos-est resemblance to the Peruvian retablo is theCaja de Santo, a sort of portable altar used inSpain as part of the paraphernalia of Catholicrituals. The Ayacucho artisans saw the portablealtars as the perfect means to bring together tworeligious traditions –their own and Catholicismimposed by Spain– without arousing suspicionamongst colonial authorities bent on stampingout pagan idols. The retablo features two levels:the upper level, which portrays the Heavens, withsaints and sacred Andean beasts, and the lowerworld, portraying the world down on Earth.These retablos were originally limited to the areadominated by Ayacucho shepherds and peasantfarmers. And in fact the Ayacucho artisans arethe ones to have kept alive this tradition, that issuch a vital part of Peruvian imagery. The best-known craftsmen who make retablos include thelate Joaquín López Antay, Florentino Jiménezand Jesús Urbano. These three men gave rise tothree schools or trends of the retablo: one whichfeatures a magical-religious current, another thatfocuses on regional customs and another withhistoric and realistic content. Today, styles andthemes have multiplied as Cuzco emerges as yet

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another major retablo production center.

Huamanga Stone CarvingsThere are several kinds of stone that are usedfor carving in Peru: granite, basalt, andesite, pie-dra del lago (found in Puno), and the white ala-baster known as piedra de Huamanga.Huamanga stone carvings started up in colonialtimes due to the scarcity of marble and porce-lain. The early motifs dwelled on the infant Christand other religious images such as saints, crosses,virgins and relics. Later craftsmen were to de-velop new religious motifs and images linked tothe Creole culture (for example the image of thevicuña standing over the Castillian lion). Today,Huamanga stone carvings portray Nativityscenes within oval-shaped recesses, replicas ofthe monument of the Pampa de la Quinua (sceneof a famous battle for independence), as well asother figures; all with a rough finish and mainlyoffered as souvenirs.

Wooden CarvingsWooden carving as an art form heavily influencedby religious polychrome sculptures took off incolonial times. Artists made retablos, statuettesand decorated furniture in churches and conventswhose complex Baroque style reached its peakin the famous San Blas pulpit in San Blas churchin Cuzco. One of the current wooden carving cen-ters is to be found in the town of Molinos, nearHuancayo. There, artisans make a range of ob-jects from utensils and decorative pieces to toys,featuring acrobats with movable arms, as wellas a series of animals including roosters, ducks,horses, donkeys, lions and a veritable bestiary ofmythical beats. Other finely carved pieces includethe bastones de Sarhua, where the paintedboards (tablas) are made.

CARVED GOURDS

The legenaria bulgaris, the Peruvian driedsquash gourd, is the basis of the pure art of themate burilado. The oldest carved gourds dateback 3.500 years and were found at the pre-His-panic temple of Huaca Prieta in the northerncoastal valley of Chicama. Recently, the tech-nique has taken off in the Ayacucho region ofHuanta, which has given rise to the mateshuantas. These works of art are known for thevitality of their thick but sure lines, which theartisans employ to portray scenes from everydayfarming life. Another variation involves minia-ture drawings, which can often only be seen witha magnifying glass. The technique consists of

etching fine lines into the gourd with a scalpel,in a comic book style to represent scenes fromfarming life. Today, the area of the centralMantaro Valley and specifically the districts ofCochas Chico and Cochas Grande are the areaswhere most mates burilados are made.

JEWELRY

The abundance of minerals and semi-preciousstones in Peru have made it possible to developcreative metalwork since pre-Hispanic times. Theoldest example of goldsmithy in South Americadates back to the Chavín culture (1.000 BC).Later, priceless pieces were found in the areas ofChancay, Paracas and Cuzco, as well as superbwork done by the Mochica, Chimú andLambayeque cultures. In the late 1980s archae-ologists discovered the Royal Tombs of the Lordof Sipán corresponding to the Moche culture (600-1.200 AD). The tomb of the warrior priest fea-tured ceremonial dress and ornaments workedin gold with techniques that were highly ad-vanced for the time. These techniques, used eventoday by artisans working with jewels, sculpturedpieces and utensils, include alloys, smelting withlaminated pieces, chiseling, soaking, smeltinggold threads, filigree, and applications, incrus-tations and clasps.

SilversmithyThe most important centers of silver artisanryare to be found in the departments of Junín,Huancavelica, Ayacucho and Cuzco. Silver-smiths, who have kept alive the colonial tradi-tion, develop a wide variety of shapes and mo-tifs, crafting jewelry in the shape of barnyardanimals, peacocks, horses and stars, as well asarticles for religious and domestic use. Other im-portant pieces in silverwork include wrought sil-ver pinches in colonial Cuzco style, tupus, orbrooches to pin together the llicllas, silver alloynecklaces worked in black onyx and bamboo, sil-ver necklaces inlaid with obsidian, earrings fit-ted with opals of several colors, and burnishedsilver in colonial style, as well as framed in woodfor paintings and mirrors.

Gold FiligreeThis goldsmithy technique involves thinning thegold to minimum proportions to thread it to-gether, creating jewels of extraordinary beauty.The town of Catacaos in Piura, heirs to the Vicusculture, is a major production center of the deli-cate art of filigree. The most commonly-producedpieces are dormilonas, a type of earring, and neck-

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laces, which often feature the moon motif.

Semi-precious StonesOther materials used in arts and crafts, especiallyin jewelry, are chosen from a vast variety of semi-precious stones, many of which found in Peru,while others are imported, like in the pre-His-panic era, from elsewhere in the Americas inwhat is today Colombia and Ecuador. Generallythese stones, the most spectacular of which arePeruvian turquoise, or crisocola, onyx, obsidianand opal, are used to make necklaces, earrings,rings and bracelets. Nor should one forget theuse of the traditional red seashell calledspondylus, once called “the sacred food of thegods”, used to craft superb pieces of jewelry.

LEATHER GOODS

The first superb works of leather were made dur-ing colonial times: chests, armchairs and a tre-mendous variety of saddles, harnesses and otherriding pieces. The decorative motifs were devel-oped using painting, soaking and embossing, everinspired by the dominating Baroque art of theera. Today, artisans continue to make the sameobjects, especially chairs, armchairs, tables andchests, where decorations involve traditionalthemes. Puno artisans also make leather horsesfeaturing a beautiful and tender naïf style.

SARHUA BOARDS

The Ayacucho community of Sarhua is nowworld-famous for its painted boards (tablas), oneof the most original examples of what is knownas folk painting, a tradition that includes draw-ings by Spanish chronicler Guamán Poma deAyala (sixteenth century), watercolors by BishopMartínez Compañón (sixteenth century), worksby Creole painter Pancho Fierro (nineteenth cen-tury) and paintings by other anonymous artistswho painted murals in provincial churches andchapels from colonial times up until recently.Sarhua boards are also called quellcas, for theirsimilarity to the ancient drawings that the Incashad made to note down events during their re-gime. They are colorful illustrations painted ona flat wooden board, portraying the town cus-toms, and accompanied by a written explanation.In the beginning, the tablas were drawn on theroof beams (where family trees were oncenotched), but today the art form tends to be rect-angular or square to make the boards easier totrade. One of the driving forces who rejuvenatedthis art form was Carmelón Berrocal (1964-1998),

who modified the established techniques with-out losing sight of the original features, creatingpaintings based on oral traditions that he him-self compiled.

TEXTILES

Modern Peruvian weavers are heirs to a long-running pre-Hispanic tradition that was devel-oped across the length and breadth of Peru. Out-standing work includes the Paracas funeralshrouds and Inca and Ayacucho Wari weavings.The oldest textiles ever found were uncovered atthe pre-Colombian temple of Huaca Prieta in theChicama Valley, and are believed to date back4.000 years. Preferred materials –which are stillused today– include brown and white cotton;vicuña, alpaca and llama wool. Other materialsoccasionally include human hair and bat fibers,and more commonly, gold and silver thread. Inaddition, natural dyes are still used today, com-bined with aniline and other industrial dyes,while the vertical loom and pedal loom are stillthe most commonly used tool for weaving blan-kets and yards of cloth. Key weaving departmentsinclude Ayacucho, Puno, Cuzco, Junín, Apurímacand Lima. Cuzco decorative work often featuresthe tika, representing the potato flower, and thesojta, a geometric design symbolizing the sow-ing season. Cuzco weavers produce a wide vari-ety of chullos (woolen caps with earflaps), woolencocaleaf pouches, blankets featuring geometricpatterns, cummerbunds and chumpis weaved bythe meter, like the ones sold at the Sicuani mar-ket, or in the Sunday market at Písac. Ayacuchois another major textile center, as it is a regionwhere over the past few decades artisans havegained a following for their tapestries of weft andwarp with abstract motifs.

Hessian WeaveThis form of artisanry is of contemporary origin,brought over from Chile in the 1970s. Known lo-cally as arpilleras, this cloth often features pre-viously elaborated figures representing themessuch as testimonies and local traditions. The por-trayal of characters, animals and plants sewn intothe main fabric lend the material a three-dimen-sional effect. Women quickly incorporated Hes-sian weave into artisanry, especially the high-land migrants in the outskirts of Lima in districtssuch as Pamplona Alta, where in this techniquethey found a way to express themselves artisti-cally. This artisanry, now common in Peru, hasproduced sterling work in areas such as Cuzco,where weavers have added traditional decora-

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tive elements such as dolls and Inca textiles.

EmbroideryThe embroidery work of Chiqnaya, Puno, is fa-mous for its lambswool or cotton blankets, largeand small, which represent scenes linked to thesowing and harvesting seasons and fiestas. Otherwell-known embroidery is produced in the townof Chivay, in the Colca Valley near Arequipa.Their work is decorated with ribbons andbackstitches. The arts and crafts fair inHuancayo, Junín sells petticoats called “centro”which are entirely embroidered and used under-neath a unicolor skirt.

Cotton Thread InlaysThe art of hilado, cotton threading, takes advan-tage of the natural color of brown cotton and thesuggestive, sober tones of natural dyes, althoughnow the native cotton variety is facing major com-petition from industrial cotton, especially in ar-tisan areas of Monsefú (Lambayeque) andCajamarca. The tradition dates back to pre-His-panic Andean civilizations and artisan produc-tion mainly lives on in some communities alongthe coast and in the upper highland reaches. Inthe Amazon, craftsmen produce elaborate dressesand shawls or fine and flat threading, on whichthe Shipibo natives make drawings of geometriclines inspired by hallucinogenic visions broughton by the use of medicinal plants.

TapestriesTapestries crafted in the Ayacucho quarter ofSanta Ana continue to use pre-Hispanic geomet-ric designs, which have incorporated modern ef-fects from an optical perspective. Another area

that produces superb tapestries is San Pedro deCasta, in the highlands above Lima, where towns-people continue to use natural dyes fromcochineal and plants.

NeedlepointThe discovery of chullos, bonnets, sashes, dollsand other pieces from pre-Hispanic cultures alongthe coast (Paracas, Nazca, Chancay and Mochica)showed that Tejidos de Punto (needlepoint) is anancient technique. This technique basically in-volves knitting pieces –mainly clothing– by cross-ing one loop through another. However, the tech-nique allowed artisans to decorate the textile withhaut- and bas-relief. Today, this knitting tech-nique has become a flourishing industry in Puno,Cuzco, Arequipa and Lima. Puno is the country’slargest producer of chullos and sweaters madefrom vicuña, alpaca and lambswool. In this area,the men are the ones who knit socks, stockingsand chullos from alpaca wool.

DECORATIVE UTENSILS

The artisan market produces a wide variety ofdecorative pieces and utensils made from paintedglass, wood or clay that have drawn from the styleand techniques found in the decoration ofCajamarca mirrors. Utensils include trays, boxes,jewelry cases, desktop articles, decorations in theshape of animals, pens, table centerpieces andother articles. Decoration is largely centeredaround tiny flowers and leaves in a variety ofcolors. Many of them have been artificially agedwith special dyes and then given a layer of var-nish. Cajamarca and Apurímac are the main ar-eas that produce these objects.

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Fairs, Crafts Centers and Museums

ArequipaFundo del FierroPlazuela de San FranciscoObjects made of sillar stone, copper, leather andwood

CajamarcaCentro Artesanal y Forestal de Aylambo(Aylambo Artisanry and Forestry Center)On the road to Magdalena, CajamarcaDecorative and utilitarian pottery

CuzcoFeria de ChincheroCuzcoEvery Sunday

Feria de PísacUrubamba ValleyEvery Sunday

JunínFeria de HuancayoPlaza de Huamanmarca (Huancayo)

Every Sunday

LimaMercado IncaBetween blocks 7 & 8 of Avenida La Marina,Pueblo LibreOpen every day from 9:00-21:00

Feria de Petit Thouars48th block of Ave. Petit Thouars, MirafloresOpen every day from 9:00-21:00

San MartínCasa artesanal de la mujer lamista(Lama Womens’ Artisanry Center)Lamas Bajo district, Lamas, near city of TarapotoWeavings, pottery and musical instruments

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