Navidad en los Andes: arpa, comparsas y zapateo en San Francisco de Querco, Huancavelica

The first few chapters situate Querco within the physical geography, history, and community politics of the Andean highlands and offer a description of the Christmas tradition and a detailed perspective on the musical technique and choreography of the event. Beyond illustrating examples referenced in the book, the DVD provides glimpses into other important aspects of the culture not necessarily articulated in the narrative-for instance, the ways by which children are socialized into participation in the tradition and the aesthetics of the dance from a very early age; the subtleties of interaction among the genders and generations; extended interviews with locals regarding their experiences and memories of Querco and of the celebration as it was observed in the past; and rich details of the way people enter and exit, participate, and perform within the festival space. In addition to the comparsas, Ferrier's analysis highlights two key participants in the Christmas event-the harpists, who play with their individual toques or unique styles and without whom the event could not take place, and the caballos, masked characters that play a central role among the dance troupes and throughout the festival. The centrality of the harp and caballo traditions along with the implication of time and space in the performances stand out in the context of Ferrier's concluding chapters where he discusses changes including the professionalization of harp players and dancers, the diminishing role of the caballos to mere entertainers divested of their authority in the fiesta, shifting performance aesthetics, and the dramatic reduction in length of the event as a whole.