This week, typically international guests of ours (on this occasion, it’s an Argentine woman from Cordoba who is married to a Brit, and they live in Switzerland) are visiting the Quebrada de Humahuaca for Easter week.
As is a salteña friend of mine: she now lives in New Zealand (her husband Jed used to be one of our guides)… she will also be experiencing the special mixture of Catholic and indigenous traditions of the Easter parades.
On a stroll round Salta city centre recently, I nipped into one of the many churches which form the route of parades during Semana Santa, or Holy week.
The church of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de La Viña is about ten minutes walk south of the city centre, and contains a fascinating 18th century oil painting of Christ treading grapes.
According to La Nacion newspaper, this is a theme which is typical of the cuzqueño school of paintings.
The picture in La Viña (which means “vineyard”) may have come from Cusco in the 18th century, and is by an unidentified painter, as is often the case, as these were usually works by indigenous artists being trained by Spanish experts: they weren’t considered works of art, but means of evangelisation.
According to La Nacion’s art correspondent, Alicia de Arteaga, the image reflects a line in the Bible, when the prophet Isaiah complains: “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me.
The fiery man of God goes on to say: For I have trodden them in My anger, And trampled them in My fury; Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, And I have stained all My robes. (Isaiah 63,3, New King James Version).
Although it’s difficult to make out in my poor photo, Christ’s Cross is operating the wine press, while to the left the Apostles are loading grapes into the tank.
In Uquia, a regular stop on all of our tailor-made tours north into the Quebrada de Humahuaca is the 17th century church of San Francisco de Paula (founded in 1691) which houses nine extraordinary cuzqueño paintings of angels, dressed in the clothes of 17th century Spanish soldiers, some armed with musical instruments, others with guns.
These are known as the Angeles Arcabuceros: literally Arquebus-armed Angels (an arquebus being similar to a musket, an early primitive form of firearm).
There are eight (more paintings of this type in Casabindo, a tiny village in a remote part of the wide open mountain plateau, at 3,600m altitude with a population of only 165 souls, 120km from Abra Pampa.
Founded in 1602, this town is the only one in Argentina which hosts a bullfight (in which no animals are injured: only young lads who’ve had a bit too much to drink while plucking up Dutch courage to enter the ring).
Its 18th century church (founded in 1690, the year before Uquia’s) dedicated to Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, is dubbed “the Cathedral of the Puna”, perhaps because it dwarfs the rest of the buildings in the village.
These are two of only 15 collections in the world of Angeles Arcabuceros.
The Chilean writer and historian Isabel Cruz de Amenábar says the Jesuits were key in promoting the cult of angels as a way to evangelise the native people of South America: and cuzqueño art was part of that.
“There is evidence that the firing of the arquebus was identified by the indigenous people like the sound of thunder or a lightning strike. They were given the same name: “trueno” and “arcabus”.
“Chroniclers of the Indies relate that on hearing the noise of firearms, the indigenous folk believed the Spanish were messengers of the god Viracocha, so they didn’t attack them. This is explained by their belief that thunder was the result of firing of a good spirit against a demon.
“The Jesuits were key in promoting the cult of angels as a strategy to evangelise the indigenous cultures.
“They attempted to ‘Christianise’ the cult of the stars common to the Andean people, substituting stars for angels”.
