Chinchero: The Place Where Rainbows are Born

VILLAGE OF CHINCHERO, PERU, AS IT APPEARED IN 1971

original photographs by

CARL DUISBERG

 In the time of the Inca, when the city of Cusco was the capital of a mighty empire, the village we now call Chinchero was known as the birthplace of the rainbow, in honor of the colorful woven fabrics that have been produced there, almost since the beginning of time. The Inca Tupac Inca Yupanqui chose Chinchero as the site of his residence, and the ruins of his palaces are still there, their intricate stonework incorporated into the walls and foundations of the Spanish colonial town built in the same location. What has survived to the current day is a fascinating amalgamation of architectural styles, construction techniques, and contrasting cultures, similar to what you see in Cusco, 30 km to the southeast. What’s missing in Chinchero is the overlay of the modern world, the hordes of foreign tourists on their way to Machu Picchu, and the profusion of modern businesses that have sprung up to provide them all with services.  Compared to Cusco, Chinchero is still a rustic native town, a place where the people still wear traditional dress, and where Quechua is more commonly spoken than Spanish.

It has been almost 500 years since the conquest of the Inca empire by Francisco Pizarro’s small force of Spaniards. In all that time, the people in this region have lived their lives in much the same way, bound to traditions and ways of doing things that date back centuries. When the Inca was in charge, they were slaves to his system, required to produce a surplus for his storehouses, while their young men and women were conscripted to provide labor for his constructions, his armies, and his pleasure. When the Spaniards took over, they became slaves to the colonial system, required to produce a surplus for the church, and labor for the nobles and their encomiendas. Today, their descendants are still just as surely repressed, by grinding poverty and lack of opportunity, but that’s where tourism has actually done some good. The people of Chinchero are still traditonal weavers, and there’s a market for that, not just in their village, but in Cusco, in Lima, and in all the cities of Peru where tourists shop for souvenirs. In the world of today,  Chinchero textiles have become a coveted brand. Increased demand has led to a reduction in quality, with a focus on small items that can be made quickly and sold cheaply. Fine quality weavings are still being produced, but they’re usually snatched up by middlemen who resell them in the cities, keeping most of the profit for themselves. Efforts are underway to promote and preserve the artistry of the traditional Chinchero weavers, and to keep the revenue from their work in the community where it belongs.

Ongoing contact with the modern world has changed Chinchero in many ways. The photographs in this post, taken more than half a century ago and only recently rediscovered and restored, show Chinchero as it appeared before the outside world discovered it. There’s an innocence, and a lack of guile that you would be hard-pressed to find today. Most of the subjects in most of these pictures are deliberately looking away from the camera; very few acknowledge the photographer, and even fewer display a smile. In 1971, foreigners were still an oddity in Chinchero, to be met with shy reserve, if not overt suspicion. Today, foreigners are seen as customers, a primary source of revenue, so the dynamic is very, very different.

Click any photo to stop the slides from advancing, and expand the images to full screen.

Carl’s photographs of Chinchero are like an open window into a world gone by. The humanity, and the raw emotion on display in these pictures is universal, and it is timeless. 

If you’ve enjoyed viewing these historic photos, you should check out the rest of the series:

Portraits of a People, Lost in Time;

Puno Day Festival: A Centuries-Old Tradition on the Shores of Lake Titicaca;

Children of the Altiplano;

An Overabundance of Bowlers: A Brief History of the Headgear on the High Plateau.

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Long Ago and Far Away: South America in the Early 1970's

A few years ago I wrote a book about road trips in Arizona and New Mexico that's a lot like this website, packed with interesting information, and illustrated with beautiful photographs. Check it out! You can find it on Amazon, and at all other major booksellers.