Recommended Books, Movies and Music

We hope the following books about Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador inspire you, while the music enchants you and the movies transport you… enjoy!

Peru

Books

• Royal Commentaries of the Incas, "El Inca" Garcilaso de la Vega: First published in 1617, this son of a Spanish conquistador and Inca noblewoman wrote of Inca life and the conquest of the Incas.
• The Conquest of the Incas, , John Hemming: The classic work on Inca history.
• Lost City of the Incas, Hiram Bingham: The 1911 scientific discoverer of Machu Picchu's travelogue.
• Cradle of Gold, Christopher Heaney: A recent examination of Bingham's discovery and Peru's fight with Yale to reclaim its artifacts.
• The Incas and Their Ancestors, Michael Mosely: Good introduction to Peru's archeology and historical sites
• The White Rock, Hugh Thompson: Travelogue through Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.
• The Peru Reader: History, Culture and Politics, edited by Orin Starn: Peru's recent history and political culture
• The Monkey's Paw: New Chronicles from Peru, Robin Kirk: An accounting of the impact of politics, economics and the guerilla movements of Peru on marginalized peoples
• Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter or The Real Life of Alejandro Mayta or Death in the Andes or The Feast of the Goat, Mario Vargas Llosa: The preeminent author of Peru won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010
• Complete Poshumous Poetry, César Vallejo: A key Latin American poet
• The Blue Hour, Alonso Cueto: An up-and-comer

Movies

• Secret of the Incas: This 1954 Charleton Heston flick was the inspiration for Indiana Jones and was filmed in Cusco; find it on Netflix or Youtube
• State of Fear or The Fall of Fujimori: Two relatively new documentaries about Peru's recent history, including the years of terror under the Shining Path
• The Dancer Upstairs: Directed by John Malkovich and starring JavierBardem, based on the hunt for the leader of the Shining Path and the imprisonment of Lori Berenson
• The Milk of Sorrow: An Oscar-nominated 2010 film by Vargas Llosa's daughter

Music

• "Mountain Music of Peru": Two volumes of songs recorded in mountain villages in the 1960s, released by the Smithsonian,
• Los Shapis: The masters of Chicha, a blend of huayno and cumbia
• Arturo "Zambo" Cavero: The king of the cajon and Afro-Peruvian music (you can also look for Perú Negro)
• Eva Ayllón: Peru's incredible answer to Tina Turner
• Chabuca Granda: The love of Lima
• Magaly Solier: A young Andean woman singing traditional songs in Quechua

Bolivia

Books

• A Concise History of Bolivia, Herbert S. Klein: A core history book
• Whispering in the Giant's Ear: A Frontline Chronicle from Bolivia's War on Globalization, William Powers: An on-the-ground account of Bolivia's modern history
• The Bolivian Diary of Ernesto "Che" Guevara, Ernesto Guevara: The author's day-to-day account of his late '60s Bolivian campaign

Movies

• Wara Wara: A rediscovered film from the 1930s Bolivian silent film era
• State of Fear or The Fall of Fujimori: Two relatively new documentaries about Peru's recent history, including the years of terror under the Shining Path
• Quantam of Solace: The latest James Bond pits Bond against villains out to take over Bolivia's water supply

Music

• Los Jairas: The awakening of interest in Bolivian native folk music
• Ernesto Cavour: Master of the charango (similar to a ukulele)
• Grupo Aymara: Have brought indigenous Bolivian music to the world's attention
• Kalamarka: Folk fusion
• Emma Junaro: Canto nuevo, a type of music committed to social causes

Ecuador

Books

• The Voyage of the Beagle, Charles Darwin: A must for all of those going to the Galapagos
• Indians, Oil and Politics: A Recent History of Ecuador, Allen Gerlach: Contemporary Ecuadorean history
• Memory of Fire, Eduardo Galeano: A more general history of the Americas
• Huasipungo, Jorge Icaza: Recounts the suffering of local indigenous peoples
• Don Goyo, Demetrio Aguilera Malta: Magical realism
• Babelandia, Aguilera Malta: A satirical treatment of Latin American dictatorship
• Between Marx and a Naked Woman, Jorge Enrique Adoum: About Ecuadorean society
• Tropical Nature, Adrian Forsyth and Ken Miyata: Biology adventures

Movies

• How Far Away: Two young women hitchhike to Cuenca when a worker's strike stops traffic
• End of the Spear: About the 1956 Waoroni killing of five missionaries in the Amazon basin
• Maria Full of Grace: Partially filmed in Ecuador

Music

• Peguche Tiu: music of the highlands
• Los Huayanay Del Ecuador: Andean flute

Please contact us if we´ve omitted your favorite music, movies or books about Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. We would love to expand our list!