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AMAZON READING MATTER

BIODIVERSITY, RAINFOREST, REFUGES, AND THE FUTUREn 1997, due to the worldwidegasoline crisis, a North American

chemist named Melvin Calvin followedsome Brazilian Indians into the junglein search of a very peculiar oil. Before agiant canopy tree, Calvin – a Noblelaurate – watched curiosly as theindians took a plug from the base of thetree where months earlier they haddrilled a small hole. Soon, an oil– likesap began to run out, quart after quarts,some 25 quarts (24 liters) in all. Theindians used the oil they told Calvin, asskin softener. After running somechemical tests on it, however, Calvinwas shocked to discover that the tree’soily sap contained nearly purehydrocarbons. Amazingly, the tree’s oilcould be poured directly into a dieselengine, easily powering a truck. After

a few calculations, Calvin realized thata mere acre (0.4 hectares) of onehundred, oil producing Copaiba trees(Copaifera langsdorfii) could produce1, 500 gallons (6, 000 liters) of dieselfuel per year. And, unlike oil pumpedfrom the ground, the fuel-tree oil wouldbe endlessly renewable-created simplyby the interaction of the trees with thesun, soil, and rain.

Within a few years of Calvin’sdiscovery, the gasoline crisis has abatedand worldwide oil prices once againdeclined. Research into the miraculousnature of the Copaiba tree stopped. Thestory, however, serves to point out twobasic rainforest facts: one, that tropicalrainforests contain a vast amount oflargely untapped potential due to theirstaggering of species; and, two, that

indigenous rainforest people posses areservoir of rapidly disappearingknowledge that has taken thousandsof years to accumulate.

The «fuel trees», it turns out, arejust one of thousands of valuable orpotentially valuable products generatedby tropical rainforests worldwide, withnew ones being discovered each year.In this most diverse of Earth’s biomes,the self-perpetuating rainforests of theworld daily convert the unwanted litterof the rainforest floor into literally millionsof animal, plants, and their produce.

That cornucopia of produce is notonly free of charge, but it’s also the mostdiverse and abundant on the planet,including fruits, seeds, berries, nuts, teas,perhaps 80, 000 edible plants, fuels,latexes, rubber, oil, spices, gums, resins,

tupertines, varnishes, lubricants, inks,flavoring and scenting compounds, me-dicines, bamboo, barks, polishes,insecticides, cosmetics, clothing, thatchinsulation, packing materials, rattan,flowers, soaps, dyes, tanning agents, fish,animal skins, meat, honey, decorativeplants, fodder, wood, pulp, paper, jute,and countless other products whose listonly continues to grow with eachadvance in our understanding. Thepotential market value worldwide forsuch products already runs annually intohundreds of billions of dollars.

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The extensive bibliography on the Amazon jungle is appealing, bearing in mind the spectacularbiodiversity of the region, its cultural wealth, its social and economic potential and the fact that it

covers 736 thousand km2 of Peruvian territory, i.e. nearly 60% of the entire country. Public interest isever-increasing in view of the recent strategic alliance between Peru and Brazil, aimed at facing the

challenges posed by development and the protection of this area, which is so vital to the planet.

mong the publicationsquickly selected, it is

worth highlighting theencyclopaedic monographwritten by a Spanish Augustinianmonk, Father Avencio Villarejo(1910 – 2000), entitled Así es laselva (Such is the jungle), the fifthedited, corrected and extendedversion of which has just beenpublished by the Centre ofTheological Studies on theAmazon Jungle. The sameauthor was responsible for thenoteworthy MonumentaAmazonica (the main historicalsources of information on theAmazon basin covering theperiod between the XVI and XXcenturies, which are in theprocess of being published).However, whilst Villarejoprovides an overall view, theimpeccable volume on theBahuaja/Sonene and Madidi na-tural reserves by U. S. citizen KimMacQuarrie, contains ameticulous study of this southernregion, which is protected by abilateral effort shared by Peru andBolivia.

A recent study by BeatrizHuertas (1) tracks down isolatednative populations and includes anumber of recommendations for

century, covering the period sincethe opening of the Amazon riverto international navigation untilthe Peace Agreement signed withEcuador. The list could continuewith a valuable book on thekingdom of Chachapoyas or anoriginal study of the Huni Kuin(2). It would also be worthmentioning Amazon writers, orthe region itself as a literary topic.However, for the time being it isenough to mention that the vastproduction includes otherexpressions such as La serpiente deagua (The water serpent) (3), anexhibition on native cultures heldin the Railway Station of Desam-parados in Lima.

(1) Los pueblos indígenas en aislamiento(Native people in isolation). InternationalWork Group on Indigenous Affairs. Lima,2002. iwgia@iwgia.org(2) Chachapoyas. El reino perdido(Chachapoyas. The lost kingdom). ElenaGonzales and Rafo Leon. AFP Integra,Lima, 2002. See also Pensar el otro entrelos Huni Kuin de la Amazonía Peruana (Thinking about others among the Huni Kuinof the Peruvian Amazon Jungle). P. Deshayesand B. Keifenheim. French Institute ofAndean Studies / Amazon Centre ofAnthropology and Practical Application.Lima, 2003. www.ifeanet.org y www.caaap.org.pe(3) See www.ojoverde.perucultural.org.pe

Kim MacQuarrie. Where the Andes meetthe Amazon Perú and Bolivia’s Bahuaja-Sonene and Madidi National Parks.Photographs by André Bärtschi. Francis O.Pathey & Sons/ Jordi Blassi, Barcelona,2001. 336pp.

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their protection. Also essential isthe work of Fernando Santos Gra-

nero and Federica Barclay on theeconomy of Loreto during the past

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owards the end of the XIXcentury, a powerful Asha-

ninka leader by the name ofVenancio Amaringo Campa wasthe governor of a native villageknown by the exotic name of Was-hington, situated at the mouth ofthe Unini river, a tributary of theUcayali river. In 1893, Venancioaccompanied Carlos FerminFitzcarrald – the rubber tycoonwho had taken control of therubber extraction activity in theManu river – in the search for anddiscovery of the Mishagua drydock Venancio was still workingfor Fitzcarrald when FatherGabriel Sala met him in 1897. Saladescribes how Venancio, leadingan expedition consisting of fourlarge canoes and 25 men armedwith rifles, intercepted his groupin order to capture a small Chinesemerchant travelling with him whoowed Fitzcarrald some money.According to Sala, Venancio, whocould speak Ashaninka, Quechuaand Spanish, wore a hat, a scarfaround his neck and carried ablack parasol, as symbols of hisprivileged position in the world ofwhites.

In 1900, during a downstreamjourney on the Ucayali, coronel Pe-dro Portillo, Prefect of Ayacucho,came across Venancio and hisentourage. Portillo reports that thenative chief was taking his peopleto the Cujar river, a tributary of theriver Purus, to collect rubber forDelfín Fitzcarrald, a brother of Car-los Fermin, who had died by thattime. On that occasion, Venancio’sentourage was comprised of his fourwomen, his children, one of hisbrothers and 40 savage workers.Portillo managed to convinceVenancio to accompany him backto Washington, a settlement hedescribed as a strategic locationthat could be converted into animpenetrable fortress. Accordingto his report, the village normally

had a population of 500 people, butduring the dry season between Juneand November, Venancio would takemost of the people to the Sepahua,Cujar or Purus river basins to collectrubber for different local employers.During those months, only 50 or 60men remained in Washington toguard and defend the settlement,presumably from attacks by othernative chiefs, either of the same orother ethnic groups. When Portilloasked Venancio to provide 50 of hismen to accompany himdownstream, he replied that he couldnot do without them because he hadcommitted himself to collectingrubber for Fitcarrald’s brother.

During a visit to a smalltributary of the Purus river in 1901,explorer Victor Almiron bumpedinto «Venancio Amaringo Campa,Governor of the Unini river, withabout one hundred families of histribe involved in rubber extraction».At the time Venancio was workingfor Carlos Scharff, Carlos FerminFitzcarrald’s old foreman. Scharff

had become an important rubberextractor and merchant,controlling twelve rubber stationsin the Purus river area and a total of2,000 civilized and native workers.

A year later La Combe,commissioned by the Governmentto explore the Ucayali river, made abrief stop in Washington on hisjourney upstream. Venancio wasconsidered such an importantcontact in the area at the time, thatLa Combe brought along a letter ofintroduction written by ColonelPortillo, who had recently beenappointed Prefect of Loreto.Venancio referred to himself asVenancio Atahualpa, probably afterJuan Santos Atahualpa, therenowned Messianic Andean leaderwho had expelled the Spaniardsfrom the region in the middle of theXVIII century, with the backing ofthe Ashaninka tribe and other lo-cal native groups.

In Washington, La Combe wastold that Venancio had gone to theSepahua river. A week later, the

explorer found him sailingdownstream, leading a convoy ofcanoes full of native women andyoung boys whom La Combesuspected had been captured byVenancio in the Sepahua area.Some time later he found outthrough two of his slaves thatVenancio, together with otherrubber extractors in the area, hadspread the news among the localnative population that thePeruvian authorities were arrivingin a battleship to steal theirwomen. La Combe suggests thatVenancio’s intention was tofrighten the enslaved natives toprevent them from going to theauthorities to obtain theirfreedom.

According to Father Alemani,by 1904 Venancio had abandonedWashington, his centre ofoperations. Enquiring about hiswhereabouts, Alemani discoveredthat he and more than one hundredmen had gone to extract rubber inthe Manu or the Madre de Diosrivers. This suggests that by thattime, Venancio had become anindependent rubber extractor. Infact, Gow confirms that this wasone of those exceptional cases inwhich a native chief became arubber tycoon. In any case,evidently Venancio’s independencewas short-lived. In 1910, Maurtuareported that the manpower hiredby the rubber tycoons in the Purusriver consisted of local natives andthe «tribes who currently obey oldVenancio, the chief of the Campasfrom Sepahua and Mishahua». Thisis the last information availableregarding Venancio’s whereabouts.

ASHANINKA CHIEF VENANCIOAMARINGO CAMPA

Fernando Santo Granero and FedericaBarclay. La Frontera Domesticada. Histo-ria económica y social de Loreto (TheDomesticated Frontier. Economic and So-cial History of Loreto), 1850-2000. CatholicUniversity, Lima, 2002. 546 pages.feditor@pucp.edu.pe

he picture of a native in ahunting scene is beautiful:

beautiful and admirable. Withoutmaking a sound, he moves sosmoothly that he gives theimpression he is not touching theground; the dry twigs do notcrack beneath him and even thedead leaves do not seem to feelhis weight. With a watchful eyeand an alert ear, the native isvirtually bent over, running swiftlywithout missing a single detail.He sees the movement of even themost insignificant branch andhears even the gentle rustling ofthe underbrush; he canimmediately locate every sound or

song; his delicate sense of smellcan distinctly identify the scentof wild animals, flowers, vines andcreepers. With an amazingdisregard for life, he fearlesslypenetrates unknown, inaccessibleareas, without turning away fromattacks of wild beasts, be theycaimans, tigers or boas. All heneeds is one instant to take aimand he never fails a shot. He neverboasts about his prowess; at themost, a vigorous gasp will explainthe ordeal. He recognises thefootprints of all the animals andwill pursue them until he tracksthem down; he knows where thesalt marshes are; he can imitate

the sounds of guans, parrots, wildturkeys, doves and turkey hens,attracting them towards hisambush point. The liveliness of themonkey, the wariness of the duck,the strength of the tapir and theferocity of the tiger are surpassedby the astuteness and serenity ofthe jungle native.

To poison the tips of theirdarts, spears and arrows, theaborigines dip them in a fewcentimetres of curare (curarine),a substance produced by theTicunas, who were perfectalchemists. Curare is more activethan snake poison and one of itsrare properties is that it is

inoffensive if swallowed, butintravenously it can kill even thelargest animals within a matter ofminutes. The basis of curare isStrychnos castelnaei, to which otherplants are added (…). As if thatwas not enough, they also addsnake heads, frogs, tarantulas,isula and other poisonous species.After a lengthy cooking process inno less than 20 different pots, thecurare is reduced to a dark, pastydough.

HUNTING SCENET

Avencio Villarejo. Así es la Selva (Such isthe Jungle). CETA, Iquitos, 2002. 197pages. www.ceta.org.pe

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hese were the essays entitledPerú, problema y posibilidad (Peru,

problem and possibility), La promesa dela vida peruana (The promise of Peruvianlife) and Meditaciones sobre el destinohistórico del Perú (Meditations on thehistorical destiny of Peru), which hewrote in 1920, 1948 and 1947,respectively. They are the keys tounderstanding the evolution of hisphilosophy and the roots of his immenseinfluence. His familiarity with archives,personalities, periods and situations tookthe form of a severe and repeatedreprimand to the incompliant country.The historian repeatedly worked onthose essays, which he corrected andre-published until he reached anelderly age, which proves howimportant they were to him. In themhe could voice some of his greatestideas: «the promise», the differencebetween «the legal country and the realcountry». Basadre’s meditations,sometimes expressing his troubles,reflections, memories, a new sense ofthe intelligible nature of Peruvian life,not only because of what had alreadyoccurred but because of what it couldbecome if it could only conquer theinertia of its recurring defects. A moralistand painfully up to date discourse thathas opened up Jorge Basadre’s works tomore readers at the beginning of theXXI century, gaining him anunpredicted reputation as a master ofRepublican behaviour, even thoughduring his lifetime he actually avoidedthe notoriety of political life, except fora few short-lived public roles.

HIS LIFEHe was born in the city of Tacna on

February 12th 1903, under Chileanoccupation. His family home, «the in-visible fatherland», Peru as a memoryand a possibility, undoubtedlyinfluenced his early vocation for history,as he himself recalls. Basadre was alwaysa patriot, proud of his native town andunashamed of the vague socialistsentiments he adopted in his youth. Hischildhood was also marked by hisfather, who had enlisted as a soldier inSan Juan and in Miraflores during thewar and whom he lost at an early age,but who had decided not to leave hisnative town. In addition to hisexperience in Tacna, he was educatedat the German School initially, then inGuadalupe and finally in San MarcosUniversity, where he became the

youngest professor. Nevertheless, hisstudent background was the reformistmovement. The fame he enjoys today,the extensive nature of his work, thefact that from 1958 until his death hedevoted himself to constructing hishuge work on Peruvian Republic historyvolume by his own choice, could leadus to a misguided judgement of his life.Basadre was well aware of thevicissitudes and typical ups and downsof a Peruvian intellectual. He wasimprisoned early in 1927 under Leguia,spending a few months on the island ofSan Lorenzo. Between 1931 and 1934he made a pilgrimage abroad toGermany and Spain, visiting Berlinwhen the Nazis came into power and

witnessing a public act at which bothGeobbels and Hitler spoke. In Germany,thanks to his fluent knowledge ofGerman which he had learnt since hischildhood (from a grandfather on hismother’s side), he was able to followsome courses at the University of Berlinwhich later prompted him to adoptcertain techniques and concepts forwriting history that were unusual in theSpanish-speaking world. He alsotravelled to the United States (about11 times during the course of his life).Back in Lima, he was successively auniversity professor and a librarian. Hewas in charge of the National Libraryseveral times, he did a lot of writingand, years later, he confessed that asfar as his personal formation wasconcerned, he owed more to those ar-chives than to the San Marcos

University of his time. He becameMinister of Education in 1945 for acouple of months and again in 1956 fortwo years, under democraticgovernments on both occasions. He wasneither attracted to party politics nor todiplomatic duties. He wanted to live inPeru, although at the end of his life heregretted not having enjoyed more timeand income or not having takenadvantage of some university to devotehimself to his investigations, which hecould have achieved had he takenrefuge in some American university.We shall never find out whether hewould have had the same feeling forthe real Peru if he had gone abroad.

A RENEWED KNOWLEDGE OFHISTORY

The province, the fervour of theUniversity Reform and the climate ofthe twenties all played a decisive rolein Basadre’s methodological evolution.In 1929, as the youngest professor, hewas asked by the authorities to give theopening speech at the start of theacademic year – La multitud, la ciudady el campo en la historia del Perú (themultitude, the city and the countryside inthe history of Peru). Basadre thushighlighted historical matters at thethreshold of modernity. Other socialagents, the masses, the multitude, thepeople. History would never be the sameagain. It was not a violent break,however. In his Iniciación de la Repúbli-ca (Initiation of the Republic), hecaptured the monarchic point of view

and wrote about military leaders.Although paying attention toideological and social aspects, hisaccount slipped into aspects previouslyignored in classic history books. Basadrecovers other genetic or basic aspects,the nobility, emigrants, the clergy, themiddle classes, popular classes, natives,blacks. He breaks into the subject ofPeru as a State and the nation as ahistorical process; circumstantial andpermanent aspects, individuals andgreat social tropisms. Although thiscombination of sociology, economicsand history has been viewed asinfluenced by the French school ofAnnales, in fact the dates do not coin-cide. Basadre began his constructionof a different form of historicalknowledge slightly before FernandBraudel’s work appeared. In any case,it is an amazing coincidence, takinginto account the Peruvian historian’slimited or nearly incipient institutionalresearch framework.

THE PROMISE OF PERUFrom his very first books, Basadre’s

language was based strictly on thetheory of law and political philosophy.His essays were full of queries. He neverquestioned happenings, but the verymeaning of Peruvian history. Why wasthe Republic founded? he asked himselfin 1947. The answer to that is simple:to keep the promise that became hissymbol. Either the materialdevelopment considered in the XIXcentury, or the efficient State, or theprogressive country, he added. Whatwas Basadre actually saying? That theRepublic is a political system, a project,something to be achieved. A commonnation is neither the result of a naturalmandate nor of an ethnic group. Theland or the dead may inspire us, butthey are not a programme.

Not long before in a convulsedSpain, Ortega and Gasset hadestablished a similar substantial division.The natural group was the family, notthe State or the nation. According tothe Spanish philosopher, «the groupsthat make up a State live alongsideeach other for a purpose; they are acommunity full of determination andstrong desires». «They do not agreebecause they are together, but in orderto do things together», he added.

English bishop Hobbes had said thevery same thing in 1651. The Leviathan,metaphor of the State, is an «artificial»

Jorge Basadre is the most prominent historian of Republican Peru and, at the same time, a philosopher ofour collective defects. Although his works of history began with a single volume in 1939, the sixth issueand 16 volumes had been published by 1968, thus rightfully gaining him an indisputable status, the fact

is that in addition to his academic works he simultaneously produced intellectual works as well.

JORGE BASADRE

THE PHILOSOPHY OF A HISTORIANHugo Neira

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or voluntary entity that emerges whenindividuals want to break away fromthe free-for-all war of the natural state.

Basadre saw in the internal civil warsof the XIX century and the collectivedisorder of the XX century, theequivalent to the spineless Spain thatled to the Spanish civil war and thedisorder of the religious wars in Europein the XVII century. His promise of aRepublic was something that Peruvianscould either build or not build. It was apossibility, not a fatality. Basadre refusedto accept historic determinism from anearly age and even in his later years heenjoyed suggesting various possiblescenarios, particularly in terms of whatmight have been, or a different outcomeof our Emancipation. Toying withperspectives, inviting reflection and theunderstanding of the unpredictable andcomplex nature of historical alternatives,his game obviously went unnoticed. Hewas always several promotions ahead ofhis Peruvian colleagues and even thosein the Spanish-speaking world,nourished until his very last breath byhis intuition and constant assimilationof methodological breakthroughs. Evenas an old man he was the youngest ofour historians.

SINCERE WORDSIn both his historic volumes and his

essays, the unusually sincere languageBasadre used was also surprising. In hisearly days, during a famous inaugurallesson in 1929, he spoke of the Peruviancoefficient of illegality in front of thetyrannous President Leguia, whichearned him a dry greeting. Few havelashed out so clearly against theeducated classes, the «elite», pointing

out their sluggish reluctance to workand invest; «capitalism came fromoutside». Nor did he believe in theidyllic version of the Inca past. He said«the image of communist Incas hasmade us forget that they werehierarchical, for they established a strictdifference between the nobility andcommoners in terms of taxes, access tofood and women.

Knowledge of the nation should beaccompanied by sincerity. First of all itwas necessary to acknowledgeeverything that had so far beenignored». The cultural history of Peruhad not been written. Basadre hadtravelled the world, he had a goodknowledge of European and worldhistory and the horrors caused byexcessive nationalism. However, hethought that perhaps what was notneeded elsewhere was «urgentlyneeded» here. I shall not dwell on whatappear to be his contradictions: asocialist, internationalist, national,proud citizen of Tacna, patriot. All thatprobably helped him understand theelusive reality of Peru.

As a historian of the XIX and XXcenturies, he never stopped thinking ofPeru as a millenarian entity. In one of hisposthumous texts he asked himself whatdid a peasant from Puno have in commonwith one from Cuzco in 1824? «Evidentlyvery little, but their ancestors lived withinthe same political-administrativeenvironment, not only since the XVIcentury, but many centuries before theIncas. In one way or another, this impal-pable mould had influenced theirchildhood, adolescence, youth, old ageas well as that of their relatives». He askedhimself how many African, European

1 Quotes taken from Jorge Basadre, Me-moria y destino del Perú, textos esenciales(Jorge Basadre, Memoir and Destiny of Peru,essential texts).. Anthology by ErnestoYépez del Castillo, Peruvian Congress.Lima, 2OO3, 558 pages. Stronglyrecommended.Fondo editorial@congreso.gob.pe See alsoJ. Basadre. La Iniciación de la República(The Initiation of the Republic). NationalUniversity of San Marcos, volume 2 Lima,2002. www.unmsm.edu.pe/fondo.

Jorge Eduardo Eielson (Lima, 1924) isconsidered to be one of the most

renowned poets and artists in LatinAmerica. Studies of his works as wellas new publications and translations

have been multiplying in recent years.These poems belong to the Nocheoscura del cuerpo (Dark night of the

body) cycle (1955). In Lima lastDecember, the Catholic University

published : nu/do, homenaje aj.e.eielson. José Ignacio Padilla editor.

pucp, 2002, 520 pages. See alsowww.eielson.perucultural.org.pe

PREVIOUS BODY

The rainbow penetrates my father and motherAs they sleep. They are not nakedNor are they covered with either pyjamas or a sheetThey are more like a cloudShaped like a man and woman intertwinedPerhaps the first man and the first womanOn earth. The rainbow startles meWatching the lizards running between the spacesOf their bones and my bones. Looking atSome light blue cotton wool between their eyebrowsThey no longer look at each other, nor embrace, nor moveThe rainbow takes them away againJust as it carries away my thoughtsMy youth and my spectacles

LAST BODY

When the time comes, and it comesEvery day as soon as you humbly crouch downTo defecate and a useless part of usReturns to earthEverything seems much simpler and closerAnd even the moonlight itselfIs a golden ringThat goes through the dining room and the kitchenThe stars meet in the bellyAnd they no longer ache, but simply shineThe intestines return to the blue abyssWhere the horses lieAnd our childhood drum

JORGE EDUARDO EIELSON / POETRY ON PAPER

CUERPO ANTERIOR

El arco iris atraviesa mi padre y mi madreMientras duermen. No están desnudosNi los cubre pijama ni sábana algunaSon más bien una nubeEn forma de mujer y hombre entrelazadosQuizás el primer hombre y la primera mujerSobre la tierra. El arco iris me sorprendeViendo correr lagartijas entre los intersticiosDe sus huesos y mis huesos viendo crecerUn algodón celeste entre sus cejasYa ni se miran ni se abrazan ni se muevenEl arco iris se los lleva nuevamenteComo se lleva mi pensamientoMi juventud y mis anteojos.

ÚLTIMO CUERPO

Cuando el momento llega y llegaCada día el momento de sentarse humildementeA defecar y una parte inútil de nosotrosVuelve a la tierraTodo parece más sencillo y más cercanoY hasta la misma luz de la lunaEs un anillo de oroQue atraviesa el comedor y la cocinaLas estrellas se reúnen en el vientreY ya no duelen sino brillan simplementeLos intestinos vuelven al abismo azulEn donde yacen los caballosY el tambor de nuestra infancia

and Asian people lacked this longhistorical continuity. Under the oldViceroyship, differences were inabundance, he wrote.

His theory on Peru is strangely sim-ple. First of all, we were born as a newsociety. The boundaries were not set by«a Spanish State that arrived late». .The very name Peru is the result of ananonymous collective impulse. It couldhave been named New Castille, but thatwas not the case». The construction ofthe State and the nation are twodifferent things, involving what Basadrerefers to as «self awareness». In order tounderstand it, he resorted to what wenow refer to as the history of ideas. Forthese to take root, he took an interest inthe quality of a Peruvian educationopen to everyone.

A HUMAN MODELIt is impossible to take an interest in

Peruvian culture, our society, thepresent or the future, without takingBasadre into account. His influenceand his predictions as an unassumingpredicator are increasingly moreappreciated by the generations of thesedifficult times. The current passion forhis works is not easily explainable.With the exception of a few temporarypublic roles, he lived a discreet lifewithout showing any ambition for per-sonal power. The paradox of thismagistracy with no parties, banks ornewspapers, is a country that recognizesitself as moralist in a posthumous lesson,even though it had been proclaimed assuch since 1931. Basadre’s paradox isthat his work is never out of date. Hadthat kind of State taken shape, thewarnings we have referred to would

no longer make sense. Unfortunatelyfor us, this never occurred. Thedisbelief of other philosophers at theend of the XX century did not reachhim because he was not a master oferror, nor did he invent an ideology,other than his faith in his knowledgeof and love for Peru, even though thiswas not blind. He clamoured for a moreresponsible elite and for Peruvians toenjoy freedom and keep up to date withworld progress. His discourse showedconcern for individual options,strangely youthful for the times. «Whatreally matters in life», he maintained,«is to be loyal to yourself». In thisrespect, the writings of the youngBasadre are awe-inspiring. The countrydoes not seem to have changed. «Iconsidered Peru to be a cold, hostilecountry», he said. There was no roomfor honest young people. Traditionalinstitutions - Parliament, suffrage,municipalities – were languishing.(1)The fact that before departing herecommended that we should fly theflag of «substantial decency», so thatwe could stop having «a despondentsystem», is an entirely futuristicprogramme. Everyone is free to imagi-ne other democratic «symbols».

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ario Urteaga (Cajamarca 1875 – 1957) isundoubtedly one of the most prominent

painters of native themes. Ever since 1934, whenLima belatedly «discovered» his work, it has beenan essential milestone in the search forauthenticity that has guided the course of ourpainting for decades. His peculiar style – a bizarrecombination of formulae inherited from Europeanacademicism and pictorial traditions of thenorthern Peru region – immediately gives hisworks of art a national dimension and character.

Unlike his other colleagues, indigenist artistsformed in the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artesand active in Lima, Urteaga is a self-taught pro-vincial artist who painted the majority of hiscanvases in Cajamarca. This situation helpedforge the topical image of the artist as aspontaneous product of his environment and toproject an ambivalent concept of his work, whichis classified sometimes as naïf and other times asan independent expression of native art. Witha mixture of naturalness and classicism thatproved fascinating to viewers of his time, the

THE INDIGENIST HORIZO

M peasant scenes carefully composed by the margi-nal artist seemed to finally bring to life thenationalistic aspirations of an entire generation:A conclusive remark made by Teodoro NuñezUreta, indicated that Urteaga was able to depict«the most Indian-looking Indians ever painted».In reality, however, his works and his life are muchmore contradictory and complex.

THE BEGINNING

Towards the end of the XIX century, far re-moved from traditional artistic centres, Urteagaventured into a learning process in Cajamarca,drawing portraits for his local clientele. Usingphotographs as models, he drew conventionalportraits of some prominent neighbours, revealingan aptitude that was unusual for a beginner. Atrip to Lima early in 1903 confirmed his artisticvocation. Whilst doing some teaching work inCallao, Urteaga began studying painting andphotography simultaneously, thanks to hisfriendship with Manuel Moral, a Portuguesephotographer and editor. This relationship also

put him in touch with the illustrated journalismsector in Lima, which was going through a periodof prosperity, gaining him access to a diversity ofartistic reproductions. At the time he wascopying religious paintings and gender scenes.El rescate de Atahualpa (Atahualpa’s Ransom) wasprobably his first original painting.

Upon his return to Cajamarca about 1911,Urteaga opened a photographic studio. For thenext few years, he alternated betweenphotography and painting, in addition to beinginvolved in school teaching, farming andjournalism. His work as an editor for the localnewspaper El Ferrocarril enabled him to becomeinvolved in political issues, with strong socialtendencies. He was an unsuccessful contenderfor parliament in 1916, a fact that seemed decisivein strengthening his growing dedication topainting. Nevertheless, for several years hisproduction was restricted almost exclusively toreligious paintings requested by devout residentsof Cajamarca.

The greatest retrospection* on the Cajamarca aBelow is a summary of the viewpoints of his curators, famo

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THE APPEARANCE OF INDIAN PAINTINGSAND NATIVE PRECARIOUSNESS

During a brief but decisive visit to the capitalin 1918, the artist became familiar with thenationalistic cultural environment that precededthe foundation of the Escuela Nacional de BellasArtes. Nevertheless, he returned to Cajamarcaa few months later to continue his careerindependently. In 1920, Urteaga produced hisfirst paintings inspired by native life in Cajamarca.Three years later, he painted La niña, an earlymasterpiece that combines a meticulousobservation of reality with a hint of a classiccomposition inherited from academicism.

During the early thirties, Urteaga tendedtowards abandoning dark tones in favour of aluminosity expressed in clear skies and figuresdefined in accordance with the classicist planningof his compositions. This evolution was apparentin his 1934 exhibition. A succession of successfulpersonal displays in Lima until 1938 and the artaward obtained in Viña del Mar in 1937, gained

him a well deserved acknowledgement as aconsummate artist.

CRITICAL YEARS, CONSECRATION ANDSILENCING

During the forties, the artist refrained fromexhibiting in Lima and his production decreasedconsiderably. This was partly due to the declinein official native art, as well as to a personal cri-sis, aggravated halfway through the decade bycataracts that seriously affected his eyesight andforced him to undergo surgery. Urteaga’s nameregained its international prestige in 1942, whenthe Museum of Modern Art in New Yorkincorporated into its collections El Entierro de ve-terano (The burial of a veteran), consecrating him(mistakenly) as a naïf artist.

After his operation, Urteaga returned toCajamaarca and resumed his painting,encouraged by the constant demand fromcollectors in Lima and his increasing number ofclients. He therefore went back to the most

popular themes of the «classic» period, althoughwith a marked picturesque accent, idealizing thenative figures. This range of styles were apparentin the exhibition in which the Lima Institute ofContemporary Art paid tribute to the artist fromCajamarca in 1955, two years before his death.The comments received at the time were oddlyunanimous, with representatives of the mostantagonistic tendencies praising Urteaga in theirattempt to absorb him into their respectivepostures. Nevertheless, the consecration thusobtained also silenced the complexity and subtlecontradictions that enhance his paintings. Thepurpose of the recent exhibition andaccompanying publications is to try to make thesevalues visible once again

The retrospection was organised by the Museum of Art andthe Telefonica Foundation, with two complementary exhibitionsheld in Lima in June and July: Mario Urteaga, Nuevas Miradas(New Looks), and Urteaga, Cajamarca y su tiempo (Cajamarcaand its time). Information on the catalogue Mario Urteaga,Nuevas Miradas, Telefónica Foundation and the Museum ofArt, 2003, 337 pages in www.perucultural.org.pe

1. La riña. (The fight) 1923. Oil on canvas: 94 x 80.5 cm.Private collection, Lima.2. Los tejeros. (The weavers) 1944. Oil on canvas mountedon wood: 59.5 x 78.5 cm. Private collection, Lima.3. La lechera. (The milkmaid) 1940. Oil on canvas: 52 x 69cm. Private collection, Lima.4. El primer corte de pelo.(The first haircut) 1953. Oil oncanvas: 57.5 x 54 cm Doris Gibson collection, Lima.5. Hogar (Home). 1935. Oil on canvas: 47.5 x 27 cm. Privatecollection, Lima.

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ON OF MARIO URTEAGArtist which provides a new insight into his works.ous critics Gustavo Buntinx and Luis Eduardo Wuffarden.

CHASQUI 8

have dedicated most of my lifeto the study, exploration and

generic improvement of the potato.I had several reasons for doing so.First of all, the pride I felt at thegreat importance acquired by thisnative Andean crop in the historyof mankind. This prideaccompanied my conviction thatthe potato could contribute somuch more, with all the efforts itdeserves.

Just 500 years ago, there was noindication that a tuber that was themain sustenance of the Andeanpopulation would become one ofthe most popular food products onthe planet. At the present time,potato crops rank fourth inimportance world-wide, after wheat,corn and rice. Apart from directconsumption, this crop hasnumerous applications in industry:it is used to manufacture starch,paper, textile adhesives; it is alsoused for low fat food processing: forbaking bread and pastries and forthe ice-cream, cosmetology,pharmacopoeia and water purifyingindustries.

POTATO ROUTESThis tuber has become a crucial

source of energy for numeroussocieties over the years. Likewise,the lack of it has caused great so-cial-economic disasters in specificperiods of history, as occurred inIreland between 1845 and 1848.

The exact date on which thepotato arrived in Europe isunknown, although presumably itmust have been halfway through theXVI century. Where it came fromand the name of the person whotook the first specimen are alsounknown. In any case, the factsindicate that this crop first enteredEurope through Spain.

Other evidence indicates that,thanks to Bahuin, it was introducedto France in 1600. Subsequently, in1613, the English took the crop tothe Bermuda islands. It was thentaken to Virginia (United States) in1621. It must have reached Irelandabout 1625. Halfway through the

THE POTATOTREASURE OF THE ANDES

In a well-known book devoted to the potato*, Peruvian researcher Carlos Ochoa offers the testimonycondensed below, regarding his work as a taxonomist, which has gained him worldwide notoriety. For hispart, the prominent gastronomist and journalist Raul Vargas Vera gets his teeth into some dishes prepared

with different varieties of this tuber.

A universal giftCarlos Ochoa

The greatest genetic diversityof potato species is observedbetween the Cordillera Blancamountain range in Peru’s centralAndes and the area surroundingLake Titicaca in the northwest ofBolivia, i.e. between 9 and 17degrees latitude south. This is theonly Andean area in which theentire variety of cultivated speciescan be found. It is very likely thatthis is where the potato originatedand was domesticated 7000 yearsBC. Nine species of cultivatedpotatoes have been identified and

these can be found mainly in thehigher parts of the Andeanhighland plateaus, at an altitude ofbetween 3000 and 4000 metres. Itis not unusual to find four or five ofthem growing together on smallplots sown by native peasants.

However, the biologicaldiversity is not restricted tocultivated species. There is also acomplex group of wild inediblespecies (about 200). These can befound in their natural state from thesouth of the United States until themost southern regions of Chile. Inview of their wide-ranging geneticdiversity, there is a possibility ofdiscovering in them sources ofresistance to numerous climatic orpathogenic factors that attack thecrop. Advantage should be taken ofthese genes to create new varieties.

Wild potatoes grow in differentsoils and climates, both in dry desertareas on the Peruvian coast, almostat sea level, and in the valleysbetween the Andes between 2,500and 3,400 metres above sea level.Southern regions of Peru, such asthe Sacred Valley in Cuzco and manyothers, are particularly rich in wildspecies. There is a shortage of thesespecies in cold high mountain areas.By contrast, in tropical areas thatare hot and damp, with abundantvegetation and temperaturesranging from 20 to 25 degrees, thereare wild potatoes that could provevery valuable for science, such asSolanum urubambae which grows inthe tropical regions of theUrubamba canyon, also in Cuzco,or Solanum yungasense which growsin the areas surrounding San Juandel Oro in the Tambopata valley inPuno.

AT THE SERVICE OF THE MOSTNEEDY

One of my first jobs when Ibegan my professional career as anagricultural scientist, was in theGenetic Cereals station, agovernment research station inConcepcion, located in theMantaro Valley in Peru and devotedto genetics and experimentation ofvarious varieties of wheat. That iswhere I became aware of the realcircumstances, asking myself whywe wanted to introduce a foreign

THE INTERNATIONALPOTATO CENTRE

This non-profit scientific research centre, which was founded in Lima in 1971,is devoted to developing the full potential of the potato and other roots andtubers. Its aim is to reduce poverty, make the environment more sustainableand help guarantee food security in the most poverty-stricken areas. The IPChas the largest genetic bank in the world, with more than 5,000 different typesof cultivated and wild species of potatoes, in addition to collections of sweetpotatoes and other Andean crops on which it places special emphasis. It hascreated international research networks; it provides training and informationservices for researchers, policy-setters and producers and it has inter-disciplinaryteams who conduct research projects in more than 30 countries. The IPC isone of the 16 Future Harvest centres that receive funds from the AdvisoryGroup for International Agricultural Research, a worldwide confederation ofgovernments, private foundations and regional and international organisations.See also www.cipotato.org

XVIII century, it went from Scotlandto Norway, Sweden and Denmarkand then, finally, it spread to mostof Eastern Europe by the end of thelast century and the beginning ofthis century.

AMAZING DIVERSITYThere is a tremendous diversity

of potato species in the Andes.Among the cultivated species,Solanum stenotomum is consideredto be the oldest and therefore theorigin of them all. Nonetheless,solanum tuberosum is the mostwidespread species in the world.

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CHASQUI 9

SOVEREIGN AND MISTRESS OF PERUVIAN TABLESRaúl Vargas Vega

crop when we had a local crop thathad grown and been domesticatedin Peru since some 8,000 to 10,000years ago.

The potatoes obtained throughgenetic improvement are like ourchildren: one gives them a name andthey give one much satisfaction inreturn. One of my daughters,Tomasa Condemayta, was namedafter one of Tupac Amaru’slieutenants during the first attemptsat independence, who commandedpart of his army. Her tragic death –she was burnt alive – occurred in herown farm, the very same one thatbelonged to my family until a shorttime ago, where I experimented withdifferent varieties. In her honour,and also in honour of a nanny I hadwhen I was a child whom I was veryfond of, I named this species Tomasa.

However, my first son was called

t is impossible to mention a singlePeruvian dish that does not

contain potatoes in one form oranother. The fact is that this crop,with its multiple varieties, has alsoundergone many changes that wereput into practice by Andean people topreserve it even in the most extremeconditions. It was established thatpotatoes last longer than othervegetables and can be eaten fresh,either broiled, boiled, fried or mashed,hot or cold. Depending on the variety,they can be eaten on their own(dressed with cheese or butter, creamor crushed chilli sauce), or as anoutstanding side dish that willheighten the flavour of any meat, fish,ham, seafood or any other food thatGod provided to accompany this‘Great Lady of the Andes’.

The yellow potato can beconsidered one of the varieties mostcoveted by Peruvian diners. Due toits colour, smooth texture and parti-cular flavour, the yellow potato hasbecome the star of classic dishes.Readers could dwell on theemblematic «causa», with its allegedindependent origins, but which in anycase is the symbol of our mixed racesand the splendour of our cuisine.Boiled with special care in their jacketsand with salt to prevent their thin skinfrom bursting, yellow potatoes make avery dry mash which, mixed with oil,a dash of mayonnaise, crushed yellowchilli pepper and lime juice, makes akind of dough that is spread in layerswith stuffing between them, theingredients and volume of whichdepend on the cook’s imagination.The original stuffing was canned tunafish, shredded and mixed with finelychopped red onions. However,baroque trends and proud cooks usecrab, shrimps and avocado, alwaysmixed with mayonnaise. This «cau-sa» is either placed in a round orsquare mould or shaped into a rolland then garnished with black olives,sliced hard-boiled eggs and, finally, ahot shrimp sauce, taking advantageof the coral.

White potatoes are an essentialbasic ingredient for chowders, stewsand meat casseroles that would seembland and rather sad without anindulging, starchy potato. Anothersource of pride worth mentioning isthe «papa rellena» (stuffed potato),

which smug housewives produce toenhance their home-cooked meals atleast once a week.

What infamous alliance, coalitionor covenant was established betweenlong thinly sliced French fries and filetsteak? Add some tomato wedges andred onions also splendidly sliced inwedges, a dash of garlic, finely slicedchilli pepper and (eventually) red wineor beef stock and you will sing thepraises of «lomo saltado», supposedlyof a Chinese origin because all theingredients are sliced and thereforeno knife is required to eat them, butof an unmistakable native Peruvianlineage, with as many fathers as thereare cooks spread all over the world.

Every town and region in Peru hasits own potato recipes. Nevertheless,some techniques are shared by all ofthem: chuño (potato startch),carapulcra (crystallized dry potatoes)and tockosh. The first of these is madewith a selection of sour, highlandpotatoes which are kept outdoors,exposed to the cold mountain nightsand sunny days, an ancestraltechnique that enabled the people tokeep the potatoes for years in the so-called colcas or storehouses thatpopulated the vast Inca territory.Carapulcra, on the other hand, isanother way of preserving potatoes bycrystallising the chopped potatoespreviously cooked in their jackets anddried outdoors (the current productionis industrial). Tockosh is a way ofrotting potatoes by putting them intosacks and placing them, with alternatelayers of straw, in ditches with flowingwater. The potatoes ferment and areremoved after a few months, to beconsumed in various ways (as a formof thick pap). This has healing powersand a strong flavour which somegourmets refer to as the «roquefort»of the Andes.We cannot end without mentioningtwo of the many sauces that protectthe potato like the pope’s sacredmantle: ocopa and huancaína. Thefirst is from Arequipa and,consequently, spicy hot and shrimpflavoured. The second, fromHuancayo in the country’s centralregion and assisted by fresh (cottage)cheese and yellow chilli, is in Lima tostay. Lick your fingers and give thanksto the Almighty for the existence ofthe bountiful sovereign, the potato.

OLLUQUITO CON CHARQUI*For 8 helpings:- 3 kilos of ollucos- 200gr. of charqui (jerked meat)- a pinch of annatto- 4 cloves of garlic- 100 grams of hot red chilli paste- a pinch of pepper- a pinch of cumin- half a ladle of stock- parsley- oil

Wash the ollucos thoroughly andslice them thinly. Place the oil in a deeppan and fry the garlic, annatto, theshredded jerked meat (alpaca meat isbetter, but it can be replaced withchopped beef), pepper, cumin and thechilli paste; stir well and wait untileverything is cooked. Add the ollucos,stir in a small quantity of stock andcover the pan. Cook over a slow heat,stirring to make sure all the ingredientscook evenly. Sprinkle with choppedparsley before serving.

CACHUN CHUÑOFor 6 people:

After soaking the chuño (potatostarch or dried potatoes) overnight, pla-ce 300 grams of whole white and blackchuño in a pan with water and leave onthe stove for 15 minutes. Drain welland add 200 grams of fresh (cottage)or processed cheese. Add half a cup ofmilk and bake in the over for 10minutes at 250ºC. Serve once set.

CARAPULCRA **Ingredients (for 6 people):

- 1 kilo of lean pork- ½ Kilo of crystallized dehydrated

potatoes- 3 tablespoons of oil or lard

«Renacimiento» (Renaissance orrebirth). The fact is that as far as Iam concerned, the initial modernimprovement of the potato was atrue scientific and technical rebirth.Both the Renacimiento and Tomasaspecies are still cultivated in manyparts of Peru. Besides their indivi-dual value, they represent aconviction that has motivated allthe work I have carried out on thiscrop; the potato is one of mankind’smost important weapons againsthunger. My work is merely based onthe desire to reclaim this tremendouspotential for the benefit of my peopleand the world.

- 2 red onions, chopped- 1 tablespoon of crushed garlic- ¼ teaspoon of cumin- 3 tablespoons of hot red chilli paste- 2 small bunches of fresh coriander- 10 donut-shaped crackers,

crumbled- 2 cloves- 1 measure of pisco- 1 square of bitter chocolate, grated- ¼ cup of roasted peanuts, chopped- Salt and pepper

Brown the dried potatoes in a panon a high heat for about 5 minutes.Shake the pan to prevent them fromburning and do not toast them toomuch. Remove the pan and add hotwater to double the volume. Leavesoaking for ½ an hour.

Chop the meat into small pieces.Heat the oil in a large pan on mediumheat and brown the meat. Remove fromthe pan. Use the same fat to fry theonion with the garlic, cumin and chillipaste, until the onions are brown.Season with salt and pepper. Add thechopped meat and the potato andwater mixture. Cover and cook over aslow heat until the potatoes are soft,about 40 minutes. If the mixture seemstoo dry, add a small amount of stock orwater; stir constantly to avoid burning.

Once cooked, add the pisco,cloves, chopped coriander, grated cho-colate, cracker crumbs and choppedpeanuts. Cook for another 15 minutes.Let stand for ½ an hour before serving.

RECIPES

* In La Gran Cocina Peruana, (Great PeruvianCuisine) Jorge Stanbury. Lima, 1994.** In El Arte de la Cocina Peruana, (TheArt of Peruvian Cooking) Tony Custer. Lima,2003. facuster@cpg-peru.com.pe

La Papa: Tesoro de los Andes. De laagricultura a la cultura (The Potato: Treasureof the Andes. From agriculture to culture).Various authors. International Potato Cen-tre, Lima, 2000. 210 pages.

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CHASQUI 10

he Latin American FilmEncounter in Lima, organi-

sed by the Catholic University ofPeru*, should be pinpointed onthe region’s cinematographicmap. The boisterous seventhevent took place an early inAugust, when Argentine CarlosSorin pocketed the critics’ trophyfor «Historias Mínimas» (MinimalStories) and Brazilian Katia Lund,in charge of marketing «Ciudadde Dios» (City of God), receivedthe public’s award.

Meanwhile it was confirmedthat, just like in Havana,Cartagena or Huelva, where thebest comparisons of Latin filmsare made, the minimalist fashiontendency in Argentina and theBrazilian determination to produ-ce violent narrations withoutcurtailing Hollywood-like effects,fill the agenda of the filmindustry’s debates in 2003.Usually, these films, which arepromoted officially (Argentine

ric Hobswann maintains thatthe XX century was one of the

shortest in history, because it waslate in starting (immediatelyfollowing the First World War), andit finished early (in 1989 after thefall of the Berlin wall). It would beworth adding that the XX centurywas also one of the most intense inhistory. Indeed, it involvednumerous individual and collectivecharacters and contradictoryevents, processes and structures.One of the most important silentrevolutions of the XX century wasthe change in the status of women,both in the world and in Peru. Thechanges in this country wereunequal; slow in the intimacy ofthe home, more dynamic ineconomic and social circles anddecidedly swift in public areas.Various opinion polls reveal thatthe majority of Peruvians believethat women are just as capable asmen of assuming public roles. Thisbelief is fundamental, because ifmost people believe in genderequality for public roles, thenadequate means and mechanisms toput this belief into practice can besought.

Undoubtedly, these changes arevery significant compared to thestatus women had in the XIXcentury, when there were only a fewprominent female celebrities likeFlora Tristan, Juana ManuelaGorriti, Teresa Gonzales de Fanning,Mercedes Cabello de Carbonera,Antonia Moreno Leyva, ClorindaMatto de Turner, Maria JesusAlvarado and others who left theirmark in history. In the XX centuryon the other hand, not only did

prominent individual women maketheir presence felt, but also women’smovements and groups whosethoughts, proposals and actionshave had an impact on theeconomic, social, political and cul-tural life in Peru.

To a large extent, the changingsocial structure and the progressmade in the modernisation of thecountry had a lot to do with thesechanges. Nevertheless, the factorthat undoubtedly had the greatest

FROM THE HOME TO PUBLIC AREASBelow is a valuable graphic history of Peruvian women (1860 – 1930)

impact on those changes was theeducational process: at a universitylevel, women bridged the gender gapthat separated them from the men,although there is still a gender gapin other educational centres as wellas in social circles, particularly ineconomic activities and in terms ofemployment and income.

The graphic history includedhere, the originals of which can befound in special material in thePeruvian National Library, depict agallery of the women who developedwithin the limited public space in theXIX century and some of the womenwho represented the transitiontowards the XX century. (SinesioLópez)

E

Del olvido a la memoria: Mujeres perua-nas 1860 – 1930 (Oblivion to Memory:Peruvian Women 1860 – 1930). Editor:Nancy Elmore; presented by SinesioLopez and Ana María Yánez;introductory study by María EmmaMannareli. Manuela Ramos Movementand National Library of Peru, Lima,2003. See also www.bina-pe.gob.pe ywww.manuela.org.pe

films with specific funds andBrazilian films with generous taxexemptions for the companiessponsoring them) tend to sharethe limelight with some surpriseMexican film.

It is even more unusual, andtherefore more celebrated, for aChilean, Cuban, Ecuadorian orUruguayan film to obtain anaward or mention, as occurredon previous occasions. In gene-ral, however, the filming, post-production or debut of allnational films bear a relation tothe August event. After sevenevents, elcine (as it is alternatelyreferred to) has defined itscurious profile: first of all, it is aFestival – a certain academicmodesty forced the CatholicUniversity to call it an Encounterthat relies on no aid from eitherthe State or the respectivemunicipality. The Peruvianoffice of UNESCO hasacknowledged this forced

peculiarity, awarding the FelliniMedal in 2003, which is normallyreserved for films, to the festivalitself.

Secondly, coming from auniversity, it is an event aimedat encouraging critics andcommunications experts to de-bate with guest film celebrities.For example, «discussion groups»and topical seminars arepreferred over press conferences.Nevertheless, in keeping withthis protective attitude on thepart of the university, in the firstevents Director and theatre manEdgar Saba and his team onlyreceived an award from thepublic. Subsequently, due topressure from the press,professional judges wereincluded. Now, the financialprizes are decided by both thepublic and the critics.

The official figures – 32,000spectators, 60 films and 60foreign guests – do not reflect the

cultural and commercial impactof a festival like elcine. Althoughbox office sales are no greaterthan those of a conventionalcommercial debut, taking intoconsideration the increase in thenumber of Latin films on the veryAmerican-oriented Peruvianbillboard since the year 2000(between 1992 and 1997 only 8Latin films had beeninaugurated, compared to the 38launched between 1998 and 2002with the festival, not countingPeruvian films, according toexecutive director Alicia Mora-les). Considering how popularlocal figures like Federico Luppi,Arturo Ripstein or AdolfoAristarain have become in themarket, it is easier to understandthe enthusiasm of elcine (Fernan-do Vivas).

A SPACE FOR THE SEVENTH ARTVII Film Encounter

See also www.cultural.pucp.edu.pe yelcine@pucp.edu.pe

A. C

ourr

et

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CHASQUI 11

ABELARDO VÁSQUEZ – THEGREAT ABELARDO VÁSQUEZ(POTROLILA PRODUCTIONS,LIMA, 2003.)

Abelardo Vasquez was a genuinelegend of popular Peruviancoastal music: one of the greatmasters of the popular folk dan-ce «Marinera Limeña» and aprophet of «jaranero» and «fes-tejo» folk songs. Vasquez was therightful heir of a musical lineagethat dates back to the very originof the rhythmic symbiosisbetween Africa and Peru. Hisfather, Porfirio Vasquez, was formany years considered thecreator of the «festejo», one ofthe most popular folk dancesamong the Afro-Peruvianpopulation. After listening to thisrecording of Peruvian waltzes,marineras and festejos, it is notdifficult to reach the conclusionthat the ‘greatness’ referred to inthe title is not hyperbolical:Vasquez’ contribution to Afro-Peruvian popular music is simplyincalculable.

IQARO – SHAMÁNI-CO SONG(INDEPENDENT, LIMA, 2003.)NAMPAG – AGUARUNA SONGS(INDEPENDENT, LIMA, 2003.)

Tito La Rosa, a widelyexperienced musician wellknown for his efforts to recaptureand place a new value on thenative sounds and instruments ofPeru, explores the ritual songs

known as ‘icaros’ or mantras thatwitchdoctors chant when they gointo a trance to conduct sessionsin which they consume ahallucinogenic jungle plantknown as ‘ayahuasca’. To thisend, La Rosa has formed aunique group of musicians fromdifferent traditions, like rock andjazz, plus a native master. TheNampag Aguaruna andHuambisa group, native of San-ta Maria de Nieva, has the spiritof the so-called field recordings,primitive music in its pure state,recorded just the way it is stillplayed in the depths of thePeruvian Amazon jungle.

JOSÉ SOSAYA WEKSELMAN –PRESENTATION (INDEPENDENT,LIMA, 2003.)

Sosaya, a teacher in the NationalConservatory with a classicalmusic background, has venturedinto a territory that is unfamiliarto Peruvian musicians: concreteelectro-acoustic music, pompouslyreferred to as ‘cultured electronicmusic’. With this disk, Sosayaproves that figures like Karl Heinz

Stockhausen and John Cage alsohave followers en Peru.

DINA PÁUCAR – GOLDEN HITS(DANNY PRODUCTIONS, LIMA,2003.)

Every so often, migrants andpeople from Peru’s interior tendto establish a new super-star intheir musical firmament. RossyWar recently and Lorenzo‘Chacalon’ Palacios many yearsago, were figures who in a way,helped to concentrate and reflectthe dreams, frustrations andmelancholy of the migrants whonow make up the major economicand social force in this country.Unlike those artists who mergedtypical Andean or jungle soundswith intrinsically urban elements(rock, cumbia, salsa), DINAPaucar, known by her hundredsof thousands of fans (and that isno exaggeration) as «TheBeautiful Goddess of Love»,resorts to a much moretraditional form – the ‘huayno’– to create her songs, which arecharged with nostalgia andrapture. (Raúl Cachay).

SOUNDS OF PERU

CULTURAL ADVISORYCOMMITTEE

The Cultural AdvisoryCommittee of the Ministry ofForeign Affairs was established lastAugust 19th, in order to evaluate theAnnual Plans for Foreign CulturalPolicies and advise the ForeignOffice on issues within its sphere ofcompetence. This ad honoremCommittee is chaired by Fernandode Szyszlo, with Fernando Cabiesesas Vice-Chairman and Walter Alva,Susana Baca, Ricardo Bedoya, An-tonio Cisneros, José A. de la Puen-te, Elvira de la Puente, FrancescaDenegri, Max Hernández, HugoNeira, Luis Peirano, Bernardo RocaRey, Alonso Ruiz Rosas, MarioVargas Llosa, Raúl Vargas and JorgeVillacorta as members. Also on the

committee are Luis GuillermoLumbreras, National Director ofthe National Cultural Institute;Benjamin Marticorena, President ofthe National Science andTechnology Council; and Jose An-tonio Olaechea representing theorganizers of the NationalFoundation for the Promotion ofPeruvian Culture Abroad.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS –CONCYTEC AGREEMENT

Last September 9th, theMinistry of Foreign Affairs and theNational Science and TechnologyCouncil signed an important co-operation agreement, whereby theForeign Office, together with thePeruvian International Co-

operation Agency, will identify theinternational sources that couldcontribute to the development ofscientific and technological know-how in our country and design andimplement the respective nationalplans and policies. They will alsomake forecasts of the main nationalexpressions in this field, within theframework of the Plan for Peru’sCultural Policies Abroad. For itspart, CONCYTEC will keep theForeign Office informed of nationalpolicies to promote science andtechnology and about the publicorganisations and universities thatconduct research programmes inthese areas, including the facilitiesthey could offer to encourage ascientific exchange and the even-tual return of local talents.

AGENDA CHASQUIEl correo del PerúBoletín cultural

MINISTERIO DE RELACIONESEXTERIORES

Subsecretaría de Política Cultural ExteriorJr. Ucayali 363 - Lima , Perú.

Teléfono: (511) 311-2400 Fax: (511) 3112406E-mail: postmaster@rree.gob.pe

Web: www.rree.gob.pe

Los artículos son responsabilidadde sus autores. Este boletín es distribuido

gratuitamente por las Misiones del Perú en elexterior.

Traducción: Dorren Watt

DIRECTORIO EMPRESARIAL

PROMPERUComisión de Promoción del Perú

Calle Oeste No. 50 – Lima 27Teléfono: (511) 2243279

Fax: (511) 224-7134E-mail: postmaster@promperu.gob.pe Web:

www.peru.org.pe

PROINVERSIÓNAgencia de Promoción de la Inversión

Paseo de la República No. 3361piso 9 – Lima 27

Teléfono: (511) 612-1200Fax: (511) 221-2941

Web: www.proinversion.gob.pe

ADEXAsociación de Exportadores

Av. Javier Prado Este No. 2875 – Lima 27, Teléfono: (511) 346-2530

Fax : (511) 346-1879E-mail: postmaster@adexperu.org.pe

Web: www.adexperu.org.pe

CANATURCámara Nacional de Industria y Turismo

Jr. Alcanfores No. 1245 – Lima, 18Teléfono: (511) 445-251

Fax: (511) 445-1052E-mail: canatur@ccion.com.pe

50 AÑOS PRODUCIENDO COBRE PARA EL MUNDO Y PRESERVANDO EL LEGADO HISTÓRICO DEL

PERÚ AL AUSPICIAR EL MUSEO CONTISUYO-MOQUEGUA.

PETRÓLEOS DEL PERÚ AL SERVICIO DE LA CULTURA

G. P

erez

/Car

etas

CHASQUI 12

n 1987 a small team of Peruvianarchaeologists managed, in a

dramatic intervention, to prevent thesacking and destruction of the firstuntouched grave of an ancient rulerof Peru. The discovery of the so-called«Tomb of the Lord of Sipan» arousedthe immediate interest of the world’spress which, for more than a yearclosely followed an archaeologicalinvestigation that was compared withthat of Tutankhamon, the tomb of theMaya king Pacal or the discovery ofMachu Picchu.

The immediate responsibility ofthe archaeological team was to pre-serve and restore the objects in dangerof destruction, and this was achievedthanks to aid from the Germangovernment, which funded the firstmetals conservation laboratory inSouth America. The importance ofthe discovery and the expectations ithad aroused in Peru and among theinternational community obliged usto consider, in the medium term, anown museum. Our small teamconcentrated its efforts on a carefulstrategy which, after overcoming in-numerable obstacles, managed togenerate funds from internationalexhibitions, obtained the support ofthe Peru – Switzerland CounterpartFund and, finally, that of the Peruviangovernment in order to completewhat is now the Royal TombsMuseum, inaugurated on the 8th ofNovember last year. This crusadereceived the generous support ofCelso Prado in designing the building.

Sipan has drawn the eyes of theworld to the mystery and splendorof Peru’s ancient cultures. TheMochicas have thus taken their pla-ce among the classical cultures ofthe Americas, along with the Maya,Aztecs and Incas. What is more,Peruvian archaeology hasundertaken further research, to thepoint where one can now speak ofthe discipline of «Mochicology».

THE MUSEUMVisitors to the Royal Tombs of

Sipan Museum will find a buildinginspired by the ancient pyramids ofthe Mochicas. Approaching up along ramp which suggests a ceremo-

nial procession, you enter the worldof the Mochicas preceded by ananimated display which recreatesthe the Lord of Sipan and hisretinue 1,700 years ago. The thirdfloor is dedicated to the mostimportant aspects of this culture:its territory, evolution, socialorganization, agriculture and crops,metallurgy, and its most importantmonuments, as well as a generalpresentation of the sanctuary ofSipan. A second theme is thespiritual world of the Mochicas,their gods and their concept of lifefrom conception to death as well astheir cosmic vision of a universe.

Down on the second floor, after adescription of the excavations, thediscovery of the tomb of the «Lordof Sipan» is revealed step by stepfrom the offerings, the discovery ofthe guardian of the tomb to theburial chamber itself with itsextraordinary contents. Themarvelous royal jewels and artifactshave their own displays, individuallyilluminated to give a sensation thatthe ornaments are floating in spacein the dramatic atmosphere of achamber in semi-darkness. Thecenter of this floor contains anexact recreation of the burialchamber with the coffin of the

«Lord of Sipan», offerings andcompanions, as it was at the time ofdiscovery. Then there is a galleryshowing the tomb of the priest andhis regalia. Descending to theground floor is a respectful displayon two levels of the bones of the«Lord of Sipan», giving the buildingthe character of museum –mausoleum for the Mochica rulers.In the center of the gallery, at eyelevel, are the contents of the burialchamber, previously seen from thesecond floor. Another section ofthe museum is dedicated to tombsfrom different times and of differentofficials, such as military chiefs andpriests, who formed part of theMochica elite.

The largest part of the museumis given over to the tomb of the «OldLord of Sipan», the oldest ruler yetdiscovered, whose regalia andornaments are of similar wealth andquality to those of the first «Lord»,who would have been hisdescendent, a generation or two later.From the first we were surprised bythe complexity and symbolism ofeach of the royal jewels andornaments, such as the impressivegolden necklace carrying ten imagesof spiders or the exquisite nose ringin silver and gold with its miniaturerepresentation of an owl with itswings outspread. The religiousimages of the crab god, ananthropomorphic feline with acrown of serpents and a pectoralornament representing thetentacles of an octopus impressevery visitor. The remains of thisruler are also displayed in a specialcentral area.

Just when you think your visitto the museum has ended, a dooropens upon «The Royal House of theLord of Sipan» a vividreconstruction including 35 figures,light, movement and the music ofnative instruments, whichtransports you to the splendor of theroyal court of the Mochicas.

ROYAL TOMBS OF SIPAN

A MUSEUM FOR THE WORLDWalter Alva

The Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum has opened its doors to the world in order to disseminate the magic and splendour ofthe Mochica culture. The architectural characteristics and graphic quality of the museum are praiseworthy, gaining it

acknowledgement as one of the most important museums in America.

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Article courteously provided by the maga-zine Bienvenida/ Turismo Cultural del PerúTranslated by Peter Spence.www.bienvenidaperu.com

Hombre-cangrejo, cobre dorado.

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