The main action of the play takes place over a few hours within the confines of a church, centering on the efforts of church caretakers to prepare the statue of Santiago for an annual procession. Due to the war, these three caretakers -- the only survivors of the town -- have been unable to honor their patron saint for many years. For the Hispanic Mayordomo and his mestiza employee, Bernardina, the procession would restore order and bring meaning back to their lives. Yet, for the subaltern indigenous character, Rufino, to honor Santiago would betray his cultural identity. Rufino thus decides to adopt the language, masks, and clothes of an Andean trickster deity in order to betray the attempt to restage the procession. As the program notes explain, during the Reconquista the figure of Santiago was transformed from a peaceful follower of Christ into the Moor-slaying Patron of Spain; in the Conquest, he became a killer of Indians. Ironically, Catholicism's colonizing force turned Santiago into the holy patron of many Peruvian towns, venerated by the largely native and mestizo population. This production suggests that, although forgotten by most Peruvians, a syncretic connection between Santiago and the Andean god Yllapa motivated this odd veneration. The piece merges dream with reality, past with present, as the memories of the earlier peninsular Reconquest allegorize both the Spanish Conquest of America and the recent guerilla war that ravaged the country for decades.

Script

Santiago Program (1.23 MB)