Shaping Society Through Dance: Mestizo Ritual Performance in the Peruvian Andes

by Zoila S. Mendoza

During the patron saint fiesta in the Andean town of San Jer nimo, Peru, crowds gather at sunset in the town square, eagerly awaiting the entrance of the colorful dance troupes, or comparsas. With their masks, music, and surprising interpretations of contemporary events, the comparsas of the Cusco region are the focus of this multifaceted work. At the crossroads of folklore and ritual, mass media and local preferences, and regional and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226520099
• ISBN13: 9780226520094
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 302 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Fascinating (and readable)

I bought this book before going to Peru for a visit. I worried it would be a dull academic treatise but instead found it to be profound but fun and lively. The author clearly knows the subject well and transmits her enthusiasm and knowledge. I particularly enjoyed the sections on gender. If you are intrigued by religion in Latin American, or like world music and dance, you'll enjoy this book. The cd is a treat.

I know her, she's cool.

I spent much of this summer in the city of Cuzco, Peru, which is the capital of the depart. that is discussed at length. The book can be dense at times, but the rituals discussed are fascinating. I had the privilege to be tought by Zoila's husband during my trip and she would come to class and discuss the dances that we were going to see at the various festivals we visited. Highly recommended.