Map of the district of Sarhua, with houses

This wooden panel is painted with a map of Sarhua, the artist’s place of birth. It is based on modern cartography; however, the painting goes further than such standardized models, by depicting the places and aspects important to the people of Sarhua, such as mountains, fields of crops, trails, water channels and rivers.
At the center of the work, we see the checkerboard layout of the community of Sarhua, a design imposed by the Spanish during the colonial period, throughout the cities, towns and villages of Peru.
This urban setting is dominated by the colossal surrounding mountains and the starry sky. In common with other Andean communities, here the mountains are believed to be deities, known as “apus”, which control the rains and the other natural cycles required for successful harvests and the wellbeing of the entire community.
In this way, the map represents both the urban context and the power of the mountain gods and of nature over the lives and culture of the people of Sarhua.