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The following translation is part of Part Two, Chapter 3. Retablos and Imagery, from F. Stastny: Las artes populares del Peru, Ediciones Edubanco, 1981, with permission. Around 1941 or 1943, Alicia Bustamante discovered, with surprise, during a trip to Ayacucho, a kind of small wooden boxes populated by a variegated world of gypsum figures. At that time she commissioned some of them from one of the artists that still knew how to make them and brought them triumphantly to Lima. That is how the first retablos arrived in the capital. The name retablo that Alicia gave them, was well received, in spite of the fact that those that had used them and those that had made them had until then known them as Sanmarcos or Sanmarcos - Sanlucas boxes. Today all decorated boxes containing imagery and coming from Ayacucho, are called retablos, whatever their subject might be.
Artist unknown (from Chucuito, Puno, Peru, but may have been produced in Ayacucho, Peru). Triptych with Virgin of Purification and various Saints. Early XIX century. From F. Stastny: Las artes populares del Peru, with permission. Originally, the sanmarcos were only of one kind and artisans like Joaquin Lopez Antay made them specially for one group of clients: shepherds and members of Indian communities located South of Huamanga and as far as Puno and beyond. The connection to these remote clients was through mule drivers who traveled over the whole territory with their packs of mules. When one opens the doors of a traditional sanmarcos, one finds the inside decorated with brightly painted flowers which refer to the realm of heaven. The box itself is divided into two levels: the upper (which is considered the first) is inhabited by five saints all related to protection of animals (Saint Matthew with the lion -but indentified as protector of cattle- Saint Luke with the bull, Saint Anthony with the donkey, Saint John with the sheep, Saint Agnes with the goat), besides the condor and some other animals and pastoral figures. On the lower floor, a passion is represented: it consists of punishment of a poor Indian thief who is to be whipped by order of the owner. They are surrounded by a gathering of other country-folk and animals . This description reveals that the sanmarcos is not, as it may appear at first glance, a small portable Christian altar. All the contrary. The unusual use of the figures of saints and the many pastoral elements reveal its real meaning. The sanmarcos is the most complex and complete expression known of the combination of Hispanic and pre-Hispanic elements in the thinking of the rural Indian population of Peru. The sanmarcos are testimony to the mythical world of the quechua-speaking population. It has many uses. As a magic object it has many applications. As a real 'huaca' ('huaca' is an Indian sacred object, place or burying ground), its power for communication with the divine spirits of the mountain, the earth and thunder make it a frequently used instrument. It is used every time it is necessary to communicate with the supernatural powers. It presides in the ceremony of branding cattle, which is an ancient pagan feast propitious for fertility; it is used in small ceremonies of foretelling or healing and it is also used in various agricultural festivities. The origins of the artistic form of the sanmarcos can be traced to two main sources. a) The small religious triptychs which were produced in Ayacucho using traditional materials like alabaster or golden stucco (see above); and b) themes and imagery developed in popular painting in the city of Cuzco during the colonial period. When Alicia Bustamante discovered them, the sanmarcos boxes were an art form that was virtually extinct. The mule drivers had been completely replaced by trucks and with their disappearance the connection between the artists and their clients in the Andes was broken. Since the first contacts with the sculptors, Alicia suggested they make new types of boxes. She proposed an unexpected idea: instead of repeating the customary compositions of animals and saints, the magic significance of which probably eluded her, she recommended that as artists did in the cities, they produce images reflecting events of daily life. From this originated retablos representing various scenes such as dances, bull fights, cockfights, nativities, hat-makers and many others. At the time there were a good number of such artists in Ayacucho. Lopez Antay was the best known for his ability to adapt to the demands of the new customers from the capital. Others who worked at this time and possessed similar skills were Julio and Jesus Urbano, Jesus Palomino, Lucas and Felicitas Nunez. Since then a new generation has flourished, adapting to the different circumstances of the market. Some of them like Florentino Jimenez, know how to best apply the old art and invent vigorous popular themes perfectly adjusted to the limits of the boxes.
Nicario Jimenez at work on a retablo. |
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