Peruvians who put their lives in boxes
As the birthplace of ancient Inca culture, Peru has always been regarded as the most mysterious country in South America. Due to its diverse natural environment, Amazon Jungle, Inca ruins on the Andes Plateau and the world's highest Lake Titicaca, Peru has become one of the most tourism-worthy countries in the world. The number of Chinese people traveling to Peru is also increasing year by year. So during your visit in Peru, have you visited Peruvian handicraft markets and noticed a wooden box called "Retablo"? Today, Xiaobian will take everyone to see what this wooden box called "Retablo" is?
In the handicraft market in Peru, you will definitely find many wooden boxes shaped like a steeple chapel and decorated with flower-shaped patterns. When you open them, the style of Peruvian life will be displayed one by one in front of your eyes. People call it the "Peruvian Box", or "Retablo." These wooden boxes are of different sizes, and the content in the wooden box is rich and vivid. Some reflect family life, some farm farming, some grand religious ceremonies, and some wedding celebrations. The folk customs of local people include all the major and minor events in their lives. The characters are portrayed even more vividly. What is amazing is that this kind of box art produced in the Andes Mountains of South America is actually similar to the face figure art of China. It is both a portrayal of folk customs and an exaggerated image. Peruvians like to display it at home, and tourists to Peru also like to buy it as special souvenirs.
So what is the origin of the "Retablo"? Let's first look at the word "Retablo", which refers to the mural decoration behind the altar in the church. These paintings are generally linked, possibly in triplets or multiple links. For example, we often see decorative paintings with Madre Santa (holding the Son Jesus Jesús) in the middle, San José (San Jose) and San Juan (San Juan) on both sides. The Peruvian handicraft called Retablo also originated from the Retablo tradition in the church. In this case, it must be related to Christianity and Spain's conquest of Southern America.
After the Spaniards occupied South America, they developed a small box in order to spread Catholicism to all corners of the colonies. There were no Catholics or churches in the conquered places during that period. The box became a veritable condensed chapel. The contents of the box were also the same layout as the real church. The gods were quite exquisitely depicted. This easy-to-carry "holy box" became the symbol of the church.
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When the Catholic Church entered Ayaku in the southern Andes mountains of Peru, the content expressed in this "holy box" slowly changed and no longer reflected religious content. Locals began to put their own life scenes into small boxes, and the content became richer and more interesting. The characters were not only gods, ordinary people also became the masters of the box, and local customs also became the content of the box. The boxes brought by the Spaniards took root and blossomed in Peru, and truly became localized handicrafts.
Why can the small box take root and be carried forward here? This also goes to Ayacuzao, located on the southern plateau of the Andes Mountains in Peru. The Catholic Church brought by the Spanish did not assimilate the local people. On the contrary, the agriculture and animal husbandry believed by local farmers and the god St. Mark, who blessed the harvest, have a deep local mass base. In the local area, people also made the god of this sacred box into San Marco, the god of agriculture. Later, the box was called "Cajones de San Marco" locally. This name has been passed down to this day. As the content in the box became richer and the form became more and more diverse, this small box was branded with a deep Peruvian imprint, and people later called it the "Peruvian Box."
The content of Peruvian boxes has undergone tremendous changes after local people have changed. According to records, in the 1940s, Peru had a strong folk cultural atmosphere, and the religious content of wooden boxes was diluted, thus forming a work of art that reflected local folk life and customs. From harvest scenes in the fields to scenes of marriage and children; from large-scale religious celebrations to folk festivals and joyful activities; hat workshops, flower shops, taverns, small vendors... scenes in life can all be expressed in this form. Some boxes show grand scenes with hundreds of characters, and each character's expressions and movements are very vivid, making people feel as if they are in it after watching it. It feels like they are experiencing real life.
The characters or animals in the Peruvian box are all kneaded using a mixture of flour and gypsum. It is said that mashed potatoes were also made in the early years. Various characters, animals, and plants were shaped in a variety of shapes. After the coloring, painting, and exaggerated expression techniques of art craftsmen, each one was vivid. Ayakuzao not only has inexhaustible themes, but also has interesting expression techniques like comics. Every scene and every picture is displayed in front of you very three-dimensionally. This place adds new vitality to the "Peruvian Box" and is also the source of inspiration for the creation of "Peruvian Box". Today, Peruvian boxes are not only displayed in museums, but also become popular tourist souvenirs among foreign tourists.