Amaru!

I had the chance to see the band Amaru, which is comprised of singers/musicians who all dwell in the Cusco area. The band puts a new spin on a traditional form of music that has been played in this part of the Andes for hundreds of years. The show that I went to was apparantly the last show before they were to break up, but people have told me that this is not the first time that they have talked about breaking up and nor will it be the last. This show took place on Friday, June 10th. It turns out they had impromtu shows on Saturday, Sunday and Monday as well. Jakiera, the lead singer, said they have been planning their break-up in order to travel their separate ways through South America in order to collaborate and play new forms of music. 

Also, an interesting note about their band name: It was taken from a revered Inca mythological creature that was said to have the body of a snake, head of a Llama, and the tail of a fish. Amaru is also the family name for the lineages of the first Inca emperors.