This is the promotional leaflet for the Primeros Juegos Deportivo–Recreativos Túpac Amaru, the Games for Agrarian Organizations and Courier Races held in 1974. The event was organized by INRED (Instituto Nacional de Recreación, Educación Física y Deportes), which the leaflet describes as “a provider of comprehensive development for everyone, a necessary step to complete the liberating work of building a New Society.” One of the main activities was the Carrera de Chasquis, the courier race, held in memory of the runners who carried messages on foot during Inca times. The race began in Yanaoca (Cuzco) on October 19, 1974, and ended in Chiclayo (Lambayeque), thirty-six days later after covering a total of 2,800 kilometers along a route that was often at an altitude of 4,600 meters above sea level.

Among the many activities undertaken by the self-styled Gobierno Revolucionario de las Fuerzas Armadas Peruanas (1968–75)—led by General Juan Velasco Alvarado—was the organization of cultural and sporting events for the general public. The success of multidisciplinary festivals, such as Contacta 72 (1972) and Inkari (1973), planned by the team of communications specialists and artists at SINAMOS (Sistema Nacional de Apoyo a la Movilización Social) led to similar events in other parts of the country. A member of SINAMOS, the artist Luis Arias Vera (1932–2016) was the main organizer of the Carrera de Chasquis, the courier race, which was held again in 1976. Though presented as a sporting event, it could quite easily have been described as a “conceptual activity” that was in step with the military governmental goals of restoring Peru’s historical and cultural identity. The tribute to Túpac Amaru II was no accident, since the rebel chieftain was one of the most emblematic icons of the Velasco regime.

The design for the front page of the leaflet was contributed by Arias Vera, who designed Estampilla 1, 2, 3, a series of postage stamps that were submitted to the Bienal Iberoamericana de Pintura, in Mexico City (1978).

[As complementary reading about SINAMOS and Naylamp 72, see the following articles in the ICAA digital archive: (unattributed) “Revolución en la artesanía” (doc. no. 1139278); (unattributed) “Naylamp 72” (doc. no. 1139009); by Alfonso Castrillón, Leslie Lee, and Carlos Bernasconi “Fundamentación para el dictamen por mayoría simple a favor del artista popular Joaquín López Antay” (doc. no. 1135896); by Alfonso Bermúdez “Premio a López Antay suscita controversias. Unos: consagración del arte popular. Otros: una cosa es arte y otra artesanía” (doc. no. 1135879); by Francisco Abril de Vivero, Luis Cossío Marino, and Alberto Dávila “Artistas plásticos cuestionan premio” (doc. no. 1135960); and (unattributed) “‘No todos nos quieren ni en Lima ni en Ayacucho’: así comentó sobre cuestionamiento a premio” (doc. no. 1135930)].

[See also these other articles, all unattributed, about the multidisciplinary festivals organized by the Sistema Nacional, such as Contacta 72 (1972) in “Arte libertario” (doc. no. 1138949), “SINAMOS Contacta 72: a los artistas y artesanos del Perú” (doc. no. 1138964), “Contacta 72 será una experiencia de significación” (doc. no. 1138979), and “Pueblo y arte se dieron la mano en Contacta 72: gran cita en el Parque de la Reserva” (doc. no. 1138994); about Inkari (1973) in  “Reintegración. Inkari: un reencuentro esperado” (doc. no. 1139039); and about ORAMS IX (1975) in “Arte y Pueblo” (doc. no. 1139024)].