El Polen and the Construction of Andean Identity

Musical Fusion and Identity Imaginaries in 1970s Cosmopolitan Lima

Abstract

El Polen is one of the most significant groups in the Latin American rock fusion movement. This research seeks to contribute to academic exploration of Peruvian rock in general, and of this particular stage of its development. Its main objective is to understand how the band constructed a concept of "the andean" and integrated it into its musical imaginary of "fusion" in Lima. Two specific objectives are analyzed: first, to examine the conception of andean music within El Polen's "rock–andean music" fusion; and second, to explain how this conception of "the andean" is expressed in the band's choice of genres, rhythms, and musical forms, as well as in instrumentation and performance. The research addresses the following factors: (1) the discourse of indigenismo under the dictatorship of Juan Velasco Alvarado, which was grounded in paternalistic and tutelary narratives in which indigenous identity was regarded as the nation's autochthonous origin, yet was simultaneously cast in a position of political and cultural inferiority; this indigenismo, while asserting the role of indigenous cultures in the formation of the nation, simultaneously constructed a mythologized and nostalgic vision of a pre-colonial past; (2) a paradigm shift occurring around the mid-twentieth century, whereby discourse no longer referred to "Incaic music" but rather to "andean music," a shift that reflected certain imagery of heroic redemption; and (3) the reinterpretation of hippie discourse within the context of Peru's social upheaval at the time, which, combined with the use of hallucinogens characteristic of this practice, led musicians toward new sonic explorations and musical transformations. Together, these factors enabled the construction of a concept of "the andean" that would resonate with a musical imaginary of "fusion".