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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 Incas 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 Native School Pointedly
Interprets 20th-Century Peru in a Native American Mode.
Also See Latin American Architecture; Latin American
Literature; Latin American Music; Latin American
Painting; Latin American Sculpture. The Descendants of
the Quechua and Aymará People 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 White, Mestizos,
and Black 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 Cuzco’s 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 of Atahualpa's Funeral (1867);
PanchoFierro, 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 Native
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 Native
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 ManyExamples of Fine Modern
Architecture.
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