Folk Art of the Andes
Lesson Plan

Introduction

The Andes is the great mountain range of South America that extends along the western coast of the continent. It is separated into three natural regions, with the north running through Venezuela and Colombia and the south through parts of Argentina and Chile. The central area, encompassed by Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, was the most important for the development of prehispanic cultures. Spanish conquistadores reached the Andes in 1526, and by the 1530s they had conquered most of the ethnic groups living throughout the vast territory. The Europeans introduced many aspects of their own culture, including the Spanish language and Roman Catholic religion. They also brought new food crops and domesticated animals, along with European forms of art, craft, and clothing. Over the next three centuries, the indigenous people were forced to submit to a powerful authority which imposed many changes on their lives, but they managed to retain some of their traditional practices. (Photo: Claudio Jimenez & Vicente Antacusi Flores, Box with Scene, Lima, Peru, 2007. Gift of Connie Thrasher Jaquith, MOIFA. Photograph by Blair Clark)

In the early nineteenth century, colonial citizens in different parts of the Andes began to organize an independence movement to free themselves of the Spanish Crown. This led to a series of battles where the Spanish military opposed troops consisting of colonists and Indians. By 1829, the liberators had succeeded and several autonomous republics were founded. Within this post-Independence environment, folk art began to flourish. Mestizo and indigenous artists were freer to create useful and beautiful things for their own benefit and for trade to a broader market.

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Questions for Discussion:
How would you describe the environment in which you live?
Is it a mountainous region?
What types of vegetation thrive in your area?
What is the history of the peoples?
Were there indigenous people who lived where you do?
What happened when people from Europe came?

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