Deam chasers. Visions of Peru in three plays from the 19th century to the present

Barraza Eléspuru E. · Desde el Sur (2025) · DOI: 10.21142/des-1701-2025-0002

Resumen

Historical studies are usually the main sources used to understand ideas that contribute in the creation of national imaginaries. However, the arts can also be employed in this approach. This article analyzes the tensions present in Peruvian theater focused on the reflection of the county’s past and recent history, comparing them to narratives derived from the visual arts. Three Peruvian plays written during the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries are analyzed: Los patriotas de Lima en la noche feliz, by Manuel Santiago Con-cha (1821); Los conquistadores, by Hernando Cortés (1977); and Una hazaña nacional, by Alfonso Santistevan (2024). This study will show the ways in which theater constitutes an essential historical document in the construction of national imaginaries in a country whose reality is still shown, most of the time, as an unfulfilled dream.

Instituciones: Universidad Científica del Sur