The ''Son de los Diablos'' is an Afro-Peruvian dance that developed as a mixture between African, Spanish, and Amerindian rhythms.

Nicomedes Santa Cruz Nicomedes Santa Cruz Gamarra (June 4, 1925 – February 5, 1992) was a Peruvian singer, songwriter and musicologist. He was primarily a '' decimista'' (or ''decimero''), a singer of ''décimas''. He researched most forms of Afro-Peruvian music a ...

explains that, despite popular opinion, the ''Son de los Diablos'' has no links with African rituals or with the Andean Morenada, but rather it has a very slight similarity with the ''

Diablada The Diablada, also known as the Danza de los Diablos ( en, Dance of the Devils), is an Andean folk dance performed in the Altiplano region of South America, characterized by performers wearing masks and costumes representing the devil and other c ...

s'' of

Oruro Oruro (Hispanicized spelling) or Uru Uru is a city in Bolivia with a population of 264,683 (2012 calculation), about halfway between La Paz and Sucre in the Altiplano, approximately above sea level. It is Bolivia's fifth-largest city by populat ...

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Name

In English, the name directly translates as "Song of the Devils".

History

Developed during the Viceroyalty of Peru with origins in

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, the ''Son de los Diablos'' was assimilated by the black slaves living in the Spanish colony. After the independence of Peru in 1821, people of African descent lived in alleys near churches and plazas of

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

, where festivities were held. Before the celebrations, blacks joined the festivities by forming gangs that danced the Son de los Diablos. Much like the ''Diablada'', the ''Son de los Diablos'' was heavily influenced by the Spanish Corpus Christi celebrations, it was predominantly practiced by an ethnic community (in this case the Afro-Peruvian community), and it was banned from religious celebrations by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in 1817. Nonetheless, the dance would remain an important part of carnival celebrations in

up until the early 20th century. The dance would gain a revival in the 1950s when Jose Durand used

Pancho Fierro Francisco Fierro Palas, called "Pancho" Fierro (c. 1807/1809, Lima – 28 July 1879, Lima) was a Peruvian painter, known primarily for his costumbrista watercolors, which depict his country's life and customs. Biography He was baptized ...

's depictions of the dance and the information provided by old ''Son de los Diablos'' dancers in order to once again bring the dance back to life.

Music

A distinguishing factor of the ''Son de los Diablos'' is its usage of such instruments as the Cajita, a small wooden box that opens and closes creating a distinctive sound, and the

Quijada The quijada, charrasca, or jawbone (in English), is an idiophone percussion instrument made from the jawbone of a donkey, horse or mule cattle, producing a powerful buzzing sound. The jawbone is cleaned of tissue and dried to make the teeth loos ...

, the jawbone of a horse, donkey, or mule, that when hit creates a raspy buzz.

References

{{Reflist Peruvian dances