Representaciones del (y lo) indígena en los retablos peruanos

This essay is about the representation of the Indian (and the indigenous) in Peruvian retablos. How does a group of retablistas (artists, retablo makers) respond to the problem of representing the Indian? The essay consists of three parts which correspond to three important periods in the production of this art: The Indian and the indigenous «retouched», as found during the first period of contact between Ayacucho image-makers and indigenistas from Lima; the period which corresponds to the early 1970s when (some) retablo makers incorporated historical themes in their depictions; and in the third period, the subject as social actor appears in retablos that depict political violence and social commentary and which today have transcended international borders to appear as international migrants. This essay ends with a commentary about the presentation of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Ayacucho in August 2003 when a stage in the form of a retablo was used to communicate ideas of peace, justice, and truth.