Moxeño Luthiers

 
Photo by Sanggi

I have written before about the Baroque tradition of music that was part of the Missions in the Llanos de Mojos during the time of the Jesuits. From the news today comes a nice human interest piece on two luthiers or violin makers who were born near San Ignacio de Moxos, and went on to be formally trained in Santa Cruz province. It's interesting to see how the international press covers stories about eastern Bolivia. I don't know much about the Independent European Daily Express, but maybe someone out there knows more than I do. This story makes the point to connect the missions of Mojos with the more famous Chiquitos missions of Santa Cruz, a point that is not always made.

Baroque music

The Jesuit missionaries who came to the interior of South America late in the 17th century were determined to create a new kind of society in the New World, based on different principles. One of the most powerful expressions of those ideas is the Baroque musical tradition, which flourished as indigenous children learned how to play the music of Bach and other composers on instruments which were also made in the missions. The Jesuits were expelled from the missions in 1767, but the musical tradition continued, and is now experiencing a revival. Although the Chiquitos missions to the south are better known in this regard, the Mojos missions had a musical tradition as well. This radio report comes from National Public Radio.