Martín Chambi

 Martín Chambi was born on November 5, 1891, within a family of farmers in Coaza, Puno region. It is recognized as the first indigenous photographer of Latin America.  How he went from peasant to a photographer admired around the world? He began to work in a mine at the age of 14, there was where he had his first contact with a camera and that it created; Since that day he had clear his role in the world and it ended up being one of the greatest photographers of the Peru and America. Once arrived at Cuzco acquired a study on it which managed to become the favorite photographer of the cusqueña aristocracy.

There alternated work photographing the wealthy families Cuzco with his true passion: taking a photograph of indigenous peoples and their customs.  What did that his photographs were so special, innovative, tender, magical, harsh and real?  The delicacy with which the photographer was preparing its snapshots may have something to do; It took a good time to think of the perfect framing and composition of the scene that would be left for posterity, waiting, determined after photography, the precise moment of light that would make immortal. Also include its simplicity and humanity, qualities which was responsible for transmitting to its models giving them security, breaking the estaticismo of their bodies, stripping his soul.

Chambi used a format camera 18 x 24 cm., which together with the tripod weighed 20 kilos. Riding a horse, he toured throughout the province of Cusco to photograph for the first time thousands of places, leaving images of unique and dazzling Andean landscapes. To many he was interested mix Chambi name with some political movement, however, he never claimed support for none, only uttered the following words: "I feel as a representative of my race, she speaks in my pictures" developed a unique style with a delicate technique. He has been compared to swim, Cartier Bresson and Walker Evans, but both the French and the American studied in large schools, surrounded by artists, while Chambi was almost an autodidact.  He died 82 years leaving a host of pictures, currently were among some 30,000 images, glass plates, negatives and original photos.

Photos of Machu Picchu - the sacred city of the Incas, Cusco of the last century goes life images, snapshots of faces descendants of Incas and photographs of architecture Inca and colonial. All of them forming social, ethnic and historical testimony of the Peru of the time. After his death his photographs toured the world and it is regarded as one of the most universal Peruvian artists of the 20th century.