THE PERSISTENCE OF CHICHA
ABOVE: Chicha vendors in Trujillo, Peru offering two different samples at their roadside stand: a chicha blanca made with white corn and white refined sugar and a typical chicha made with yellow corn and chancaca. 2017. FACING: A chicharia denoted by the red flag hung above the door, which signals that chicha is for sale, Ollantaytambo, Peru, 2017.
tional clothes and bear instruments and pot- tery. These items are all an assertion of Native identity. The importance of chicha both his- torically and in a contemporary context is an affirmation of that identity. But as chicha consumption continues to
shrink in favor of soda, beer and liquor, a chi- cha renaissance becomes less of an everyday reality. If you ask for chicha in cities in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador or Colombia you will prob- ably be directed to the slums surrounding the city centers. It can also be found in many small towns throughout the countryside but almost never in westernized city centers. Surprisingly though, the historic drink has re- cently been popping up in some unexpectedly genteel locations. In 2014 Off Color Brewing in Chicago, Ill., released a “Wari Chicha De Molle Inspired Ale” that is distributed across the United States, even at some Whole Foods
16 AMERICAN INDIAN SUMMER 2018
grocery stores. It is made in cooperation with the Field Museum in Chicago, which had been conducting excavations at the Wari Cerro Baul site which includes the remains of a chicha brewery. La Portal de Chorro, in central Bogo- ta’s Candelaria district, has become a fashion- able place for students to drink chicha. Gaston Acurio, the renowned chef and ambassador of Peruvian cuisine, serves the drink in his two upscale restaurants in Cuzco and Arequipa, aptly named “Chicha,” which primarily serve well-heeled tourists. These products vary in their adherence to tradition and can easily be seen as commodification and co-option of the tradition, just as many Native cultures and traditions have been appropriated throughout history. Alternatively, the comeback of chicha may inform an Indigenous revival. The societal bonds created via chicha con- sumption persist. Although they have evolved
over the centuries under intense pressure, they provide a continuous Indigenous reference point connecting communities that are oth- erwise diverse. As the chef Acurio said about his decision to name his restaurants after the drink, “Chicha unites all of Peru. In all the Andes and all the north coast, chicha is drunk and brewed. It was the ceremonial and daily drink of our ancestors. “The idea for Chicha restaurant is that one
day it will be in all the cities of Peru that re- ceive visitors and that in each city, the cuisine, customs and local diversity will be celebrated. In all these cases the product that always seems common, almost the only one, is chicha. That’s why we did it.”X
Justin Mugits is a program assistant in Public Programs at NMAI. He has previously worked as an archeological techni- cian, bagel baker and served in the Peace Corps as an English teacher in Mongolia.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN MUGITS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
