The true historical period of the huanyo began with the rise of Emporer Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui (1438-171). He lived less than 100 years before the arrival of the Spaniards (Martin 1974). His memory was “kept alive in ballads and songs” (Martin 1974 c:6) and his accomplishments were retold in poetic form at the annual religious festivals held in Cuzco (Martin 1974).

Cuzco , the capital of the old Inca Empire, is where a type of dance music called “huanyo” emerged. In Southern Peru , the term “huanyo” is used as a more generic term for song; however the term can also be used to describe a specific genre (The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, v.2 1998). Since then, it has become popular in Bolivia , Chilé , Ecuador , and other countries in Latin America . Huanyo is perhaps the purest form of Incan music, and it is still sung by modern Peruvian superstars, such as Picaflor de los Andes and El Jilguero de Huascaran ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Peru ).

The huanyo is “the most widely disseminated and popular song-dance genre in the Andes ” (The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, v.2 1998 c:476), with it's popularity rising during the colonial period (Klarén 2000).

Depending on the region, the huanyo has many variants and different names; such as “chuscada” in the Ancash region, “pampena” in the Arequipa region, and “chymaycha” in the Amazonas and Huanuco regions, amongst others (Martin 1974). In modern times, the huanyo reflects social and ethnic groups of the performers. There are many different genres of the huanyo (The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians 2001), each serving different purposes. The “yuravi” in the Southern Andes, is used for afflicted love affairs and nostalgia, while the “muliza”, in the central Andes is a variant of the “yuravi”, but used for similar purposes. Other genres used for events such as animal sacrifices (“wanami”, “apu”, or “archachila”), agriculture (“pincullo” and “tinya”), cleaning of the irrigation channels (“walina”), ceremonial building sites (“pincullo” and “tinya”), and various stages of the life-cycle, also exist (The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, v.2 1998).

Animal sacrifices, or “marking of animals” (Klarén 2000) are associated with Andean mountain deities and are only performed during certain seasons of the year. The genres associated with this are “wanami”, “apu”, or “archachila”, depending on the exact region (The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians 2001).

During agricultural rites, unmarried men and women would sing “pincullo” and “tinya” music standing atop mounds of grain, usaully at the first tilling of the soil (The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, v.2 1998).

The cleansing of irrigation channes has a strong tradition in Puguio, Ayacucho, and San Pedro de Casta, Lima , and during this “fiesta del agua” (festival of the water) (The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, v.2 1998 c:478), male specialists are called upon to sing the tunes of the “walina” (The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, v.2 1998). Along with this, the building up of walls for the irrigation channels or other ceremonial building is likewise celebrated. When the walls of a ceromonial building or sacred site are being built, the performers of the “pincullo” and “tinya” music would take part in this exciting ritual (Martin 1974).

The various stages of the life-cycle are also seen as ceremonious occasions, most notably courtship, baptism, marriage, and funerals. In Canas, unmarried men will call on their charangos during the festivals of St. Andrew, and The Holy Cross, in order to attract women (Martin 1974).

Funerals are seen as times of celebration, not mourning. Music is played usually during the wake, as in the celebration of “Dia de los Muertos”, or “The Day of the Dead”, or the actual funeral itself. When an infant dies, lively huanyo music is played on the charango to show the state of grace he or she is in as they are taken to heaven (The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, v.2 1998).

In the Peruvian Andes, fiestas are based around the festival calendar, and depending on the region, fiestas may be celebrated more or less intensely than others. Regardless of the circumstances, music and dance is culturally significant in all fiestas and can be performed by one person or large groups. Usually performers are members of the community, but on some occasions, Indian performers will be hired in order to adhere more closely to tradition. Although music in central in Andean fiestas, music can be used for other events, including fireworks, bullfights, races, special offerings, and orchestral salutes (Klaren 2000).

Although the huayano is the most widely popular dance genre in the Andes , there are numerous other types of Peruvian Folk music! There are various other types, including the “haravi”, which is the most frequent type encountered; the “cachiua”; “haylli”; and numerous other types for “shepherds of llamas, sowers of seed, and tillers of the soil” (Stevenson 1968 c:294).