THE TUNANTADA

Tunantada

The tunantada is a Peruvian dance and the main dance of the parties of January 20 in the district of Yauyos (Jauja) that is danced celebrating the Festival of patrons of the district: San Sebastián and San Fabián.1 Through this dance the inhabitants imitate to the Spanish conquerors, in the form of satire. It was declared Patrimony of the Nation of Peru.

features

Spanish, also called Prince, is a character that integrates the Tunantada, originally from Jauja. Dance declared patrimony of the Nation of Peru.

Satire is done through disguise. The dancers use wire mesh masks, with eyes, mustaches and painted white complexion. Some of the participants carry a baton and pants to the knee, imitating the Spanish colonial stereotype.

It is a dance that is danced with a heartrending feeling. The music initially begins with the sounds of violins and harp, among the dancers the social classes of the viceroyalty are identified, the Spanish as the maximum authority and the Indians as subject to the whites. Later, the sounds of clarinets, harps, saxophones, etc. are added to the music.

Etymology

The word Tunantada seems to come from two Quechua voices: Tunan "alturas" and Anti "autochthonous" or left the jungle.

Another version identifies Tunantada with the word rogue, used in Spain to define the astute and skilled person who works for their own benefit.