The illustration here depicts a drawing of a native of Peru with a simple title, “Man of Peru”. The painting is of interest because it shows us an early depiction of what the natives of Peru were like and how “civilized folk” would have viewed these natives of Peru. This painting was found in a popular book in Venice at the time by author Vecellio in 1598. This book was about costumes, how the native Venetian dress, and clothing from ancient times. Looking at this illustration from the perspective of a city dweller of Venice in 1598 you would infer that the people in Peru are uncivilized and place themselves on a higher pedestal than someone living in Peru. This can help us today understand the social dilemmas of the past. 

The man in the photo is wearing a headband and a tunic that’s decorated with flowers and birds and a checker design. He has on his person a flask and either a spear or a farming tool. This painting is actually great because it shows how hard working a native of Peru is as seen by the mans large arms and muscular legs. But it also shows that the people of Peru have a sense of style and taste with the floral and checker design. As stated in the “Tupac Amaru Rebellion”, “Many Spaniards and Creoles scoffed at the notion of a “noble Indian” and despite business dealings and even friendship with him, wanted nothing to do with his political project.” Native Peruvians were looked down on during the time of Latin American colonialism.

The painting shows a great depiction of a native man of Peru that gives both a good image and a bad one. A great image because it shows that style, artistry, and strength of a native Peruvian. It is a bad image because it could give the inference to more advanced civilizations that Peruvians aren’t as developed because hard labor was seen as something that nobles did not do. If your only reference to a whole civilization is one image then your going to be biased based on that image as it ‘s your sole reference. As a Peruvian myself I am proud of this illustration because I believe it is accurate and flattering of a Peruvian. People in Latin America work hard to build their way of life and while not rich in material things they are rich in culture.

Works Cited

• Walker, Charles F. The Tupac Amaru Rebellion. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2016.