Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [31]
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Sharing the African-Spanish roots is landó, on the bluesier end of the criolla scale. These include elements of call-and-response backed up by guitar and percussion. The lyrics focus on slavery, violence and other social issues. Standout performers in the genre include contemporary singers Susana Baca (b 1944) and Eva Ayllón (b 1956). One of the best ways to enjoy música criolla is to see it performed live at one of the many peñas (small clubs) in Lima (Click here) or by traveling to Chincha (Click here), on the south coast, for Verano Negro, an Afro-Peruvian cultural festival that takes place every February. (For more on Afro-Peruvian music, see the boxed text, Click here.)
Contemporary popular music in Peru includes a selection of rock, pop, ska, hip-hop and punk. The home-grown Peruvian rock scene is limited, but, as a genre it has made significant strides since the 1970s, when it was cast out as ‘alienating and Yankee’ by Juan Velasco’s military regime. In the ’80s an underground scene emerged, led by bands such as Autopsia, Leusemia and Narcosis – the latter two are still playing today. Other newer groups have met with more international success. The pop-rock band Libido, for example, has sold millions of albums and received a number of Video Music Awards from MTV Latin America. In early 2009, the band released its fifth album, Un nuevo día. In recent years, as different genres such as electronica have become increasingly popular, a growing number of musicians, such as Miki González, Novalima and Jaime Cuadra, have started sampling traditional criolla and huayno sounds and fusing them with digital beats.
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A comprehensive listing of concerts, as well as links and information on just about every known Peruvian rock band, can be found online at www.rockperu.com.
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Architecture
From Inca monumentalism to Spanish baroque to boxy modernism, an extraordinarily varied assortment of architectural styles can be found in Peru. The most renowned example of pre-Columbian architecture is the impressive mountaintop retreat built by the Incas at Machu Picchu, a site that dates back to 1440. Built in the imperial style, it is composed of roughly 140 structures connected by more than 100 flights of stone steps. It epitomizes the grand scale of Inca architecture, with engineering that is just as impressive: trapezoidal window frames are earthquake resistant, and intricate stone walls are constructed without mortar. Other period structures can be found at Cuzco and its environs (Click here) and Pisac (Click here).
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PERUVIAN PLAYLIST
Interested in picking up a little traditional Peruvian music without having to drag home a stack of albums? No problem. We’ve compiled a playlist of essential songs for download. All you need is the pisco.
‘Cada Domingo a las 12 después de la misa,’ Arturo ‘Zambo’ Cavero The lyric pays tribute to a love lost; Cavero at his best.
‘La flor de la canela,’ Chabuca Granda A paean to Lima by Peru’s most venerated songwriter.
‘Azucar de caña,’ Eva Ayllón A landó by Peru’s premiere Afro-Peruvian songstress.
‘El huerto de mi amada,’ Los Morochucos This celebrated 20th-century trio produced incredible harmonies. The title of this song (My Beloved’s Garden) inspired a novel of the same name by Alfredo Bryce Echenique.
‘Machete,’ Novalima Grooving landó beats are given a contemporary makeover by a band that fuses traditional sounds with electronica.
‘La danza de Los Mirlos,’ Los Mirlos The grooviest of the Amazon’s psychedelic chicha tunes.
‘Zamba Malató,’ Perú Negro A percussion-driven piece by one of the country’s longest-running Afro-Peruvian bands.
‘Cuando llora mi guitarra,’ Oscar Áviles A traditional waltz performed by one of the most prolific composers of traditional 20th-century music.
‘Toro mata,’ Susana Baca Another hip-shaking landó by a singer renowned for repopularizing Afro-Peruvian music.
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Far more horizontal in its lines is the pre-Columbian architecture of the coast. A good example of this is