The Rhythms of Labor: Afro-Peruvian Instrumentations in the 18th century Haciendas of Nazca, Peru

A güiro, formed from a conical calabash fruit, exhibits a series of parallel cuts allowing for the timber of the object to resonate when struck (Figure 1). This instrument was found on grounds of the eighteenth-century Jesuit wine and brandy producing estates, San José and San Xavier in Nasca, Peru. These lands, operated entirely by enslaved African labor with only one Jesuit administrator on site, were two of many haciendas dotting the Peruvian coastal valley and whose economic successes fueled the financial expenditures of Jesuit colleges in Lima and Cuzco. The güiro was found nestled within remnants of broken botijas (amphora-like jugs) near a kiln site, significantly far from the main chapels. These jars functioned as recipients for the storage and transportation of the brandy. Yet, the botijas held yet another use, one of musical capacity. The damaged botijas, engineered by enslaved Afro-Peruvian workers, could then produce complementing sounds by affixing skins on their openings.

The first section of this essay contrasts prescribed hacienda management protocols against the lived operative realities to contextualize the güiro’s use. The second part considers the making processes of such percussive instruments and performance outside of solely liturgical localities to nuance understandings of local knowledge informing the creation of Afro-Peruvian community, labor, and rhythm. The güiro and the botijas, both objects existing within confines of religiously backed haciendas, provide insight on how the enslaved workers countered Jesuit conceptions of orality, space, and race.