Researching Peruvian Indigenismo: Archival Discoveries in Lima

by Mariana Rodriguez-Barreno

In March 2026, I had the opportunity to undertake a month-long research trip to Peru, supported by the PG SLAS grant. This visit formed a crucial part of my doctoral research, which examines the work of Peruvian artists and their engagement with indigenous cultures during the twentieth century. By consulting archival collections in Lima, I was able to access unique primary sources that have significantly enriched my project.

My first stop was the National Library, home to many records periodicals and books related to the work of Elena and Victoria Izcue. The Izcue sisters are well known for their efforts to incorporate Indigenous artistic traditions into modern design and education. Examining these materials provided valuable insight into the artistic networks and cultural exchanges that shaped Peruvian modernism. It also revealed the complexity of relationships between artists, institutions, and Indigenous communities during the first half of the twentieth century.

I also conducted research at the Sanseviero collection, where I consulted documents related to Alicia and Celia Bustamante’s intellectual work and affiliations. These documents and photographs offered vivid visual evidence of their encounters with key characters of Peruvian intellectual and artistic circles that are yet to be explores and highlighted their important role in documenting and promoting Indigenous cultural traditions. Seeing these materials firsthand allowed me to better understand how artistic representations of Indigenous life were created and circulated within broader cultural and political debates. In addition to this, I was also able to revise books and little magazines that depicted indigenous art and individuals and that can be put in conversation with the work of the artists I am investigations. This collection also granted me access to special documents on women artists’ education ranging from the 1910-1940s that are scarce nowadays. 

A particularly rewarding aspect of the trip was the opportunity to consult materials preserved in the former home of Julia Codesido, one of the leading figures of Peruvian indigenismo. Codesido’s heirs have carefully maintained a collection of correspondence between the artist and several individuals who are central to my research, as well as drawings and photographs related to the development of indigenism in Peru. These materials also offered a more intimate perspective on the ideas and collaborations that shaped the movement’s development.

Together, these archival visits gave me access to rare and largely unpublished sources that are essential to my doctoral research. Beyond the materials themselves, the trip provided a deeper understanding of the cultural and historical contexts in which these artists worked. The experience has strengthened the foundation of my project and opened new avenues for exploring the intersections of art, identity, and Indigenous culture in modern Peru and, centrally, the way indigenist women artists carried out their work.