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The Native American heritage of Peru
is one of the richest in South America. Although Spain
gave Peru its language, religion, and rulers, the
civilization of the Inca has left its traces throughout
Peruvian culture. Archaeological excavations have
uncovered monumental remains of Native American
societies. Architecture of the Spanish colonial period,
a fusion of Spanish and Native American forms, is called
Creole. In art today, the indigenist school pointedly
interprets 20th-century Peru in a Native American mode.
See also Latin American Architecture; Latin American
Literature; Latin American Music; Latin American
Painting; Latin American Sculpture.The descendants of
the Quechua and Aymará peoples populate the Andean
highlands. Many do not speak Spanish and have preserved
the customs and folklore of their ancestors. Along the
coast and in the highland cities, the whites, mestizos,
and blacks live in a modern Western style. In contrast
to these settlements are the jungles of eastern Peru,
where more isolated groups of Native Americans retain
lifestyles similar to those of their ancestors.
Art and Architecture
Native American themes are strong in painting. During
the colonial period the Cuzco school was famous
throughout Spanish America for its religious canvases.
During the 19th century there were four major artists—Francisco
Lazo, forerunner of the indigenous school of painting
and a portrait painter; Luis Montero, known for his huge
canvas Atahualpa's Funeral (1867); Pancho Fierro, a
caricaturist of popular social types and customs; and
Carlos Becaflor, a portrait painter.In the 1930s,
following the lead of the great Mexican muralists, a
Peruvian movement—led by José Sabogal and Julia Codesido—reflected
deep sympathy for the indigenous Peruvian people. Later,
a reaction against the use of native themes took place.
In the 1950s abstract painting became dominant. The
Institute of Contemporary Art encourages new movements
in art, while the long-established National School of
Fine Arts is more conservative.In addition to the many
monumental Inca ruins, many examples of colonial
architecture survive, particularly religious and public
buildings located mostly in Lima, Arequipa, Cusco, and
Trujillo. In the Andean area the Spaniards often built
on top of Inca remains, and in Cusco one can see both
types of construction. In colonial buildings, Spanish
and indigenous modes often fuse, blending into what was
called the Creole style. Moorish influence, which
traveled from Arab North Africa to Spain and then to the
Americas, is visible in what is known as the Mudejar
style. Lima has many examples of fine modern
architecture.
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