Ladies at the chicheria

In this environmental portrait Chambi shows four young women and a child at a moment of leisure in a chichería, i.e. a place where chicha, a slightly alcoholic drink popular in the Peruvian Andes, is served. The setting is modest, in contrast to the elegant clothes and hair of the four women (who all look like mestizas, as was common at the time among members of the middle class). The building with its built-in bench seems to be built of earth and stones, and the women are gathered around a modest wooden table, under which a large jug and a hen can be seen. Two of the girls hold a glass of chicha, while a third plays an ukulele/small guitar. Next to her is a child in a sailor suit. At the chichería drinks but also snacks are served, as witnessed by the open tins and plates placed on the table. Chambi thus fixes a habitual moment of daily life for women belonging to the middle class of Cusco.