Amazing Vintage Photographs Documented Inca Culture And Life In Peruvian Andes, Captured By Martin Chambi In The Early 20th Century

Martin Chambi was among the first photographers of the Peruvian Andes and became the leading portrait painter in Cuzco, opened a photo Studio in 1920. But, being a native Quechua, he considered it his duty to document the lives of Indians and the legacy of the Inca culture, traveled through the Andes, shooting landscapes, the ruins of Machu Picchu and traditions of the local inhabitants.

His work can be divided into two parts: the commercial, which consisted of custom-made studio and outdoor portraits, and the one that was created due to personal interest of the author is social – documentary photography of the indigenous population, numerous city views of Cusco and the archaeological finds. His work has been advanced in the history of photography in Peru, but throughout Latin America.

The greatest value for him had shot the Indians. In 1936 Chambi said, “I read that in Chile think that the indigenous South American peoples have no culture, that they are uncivilized, intellectually and artistically inferior to white people and Europeans. I never believed because I know my brothers… but I think that visual evidence is more eloquent than just opinions. That’s why I took this case.”