Christ of the Earthquakes, 1750-70.
Museo de Arte de Lima, loan of the Banco Industrial, Lima, Peru. Photograph by Daniel Giannoni.

This is one of many known paintings of a crucifix that hangs in Cuzco's cathedral. The statue was widely believed to have brought the great earthquake of 1650 of Cuzco to an end, a divine intercession into human lives. In Spanish America, as elsewhere, people believed that natural disasters—like earthquakes and floods—could be ameliorated by the powers resident in certain Christian images. After the devastating quake of 1650, painted copies of the miracle-working Crucifix were made, each one a “portrait” of the venerated crucifix that invoked its protective powers.

In this painting, as in many of this theme from the 18th century, the statue appears amidst candles and floral bouquets, set against a dark background. The Jesus wears a demure skirt, which the statue itself also wears. The skirt, rather than a loincloth, is somewhat unusual on the crucified Christ, and it distinguishes Christ of the Earthquakes from others. Since the likeness was believed to carry the efficacy of the sculpture, its painter, whose name is unknown today, was called upon to make an image that remained faithful to its model—a sculpture crafted in Cuzco, yet with ties to European and Andean Christian traditions.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Majluf, Natalia, Cristóbal Makowski and Francisco Stastny. 2001. Art in Peru: Works from the Collection of the Museo de Arte de Lima. Lima, Perú: Museo de Arte de Lima, Promperú.

Palmer, Gabrielle and Donna Pierce. 1992. Cambios: The Spirit of Transformation in Spanish Colonial Art. Santa Barbara, California: Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

Wuffarden, Luis Eduardo. 1999. ‘El Cristo de los Temblores.” In Los siglos de oro en los virreinatos de América: 1550-1700. Pp. 354-356. Madrid: Sociedad Estatal para la Conmemoracion de los Centenarios de Felipe II y Carlos V.

	Andean: (English) Indigenous peoples living in, and near to the Andes Mountains; the Andean region stretches from modern day Ecuador to northern Chile. back to text
	Cuzco: (Quechua) Andean city that was the Inka capital in pre-Hispanic times, now in Peru. Also Cusco, Q'osqo. back to text
	Spanish America: (English) The areas of the New World under Spanish control. From the 16th to 18th centuries, Spanish America comprised most of South America (except Portuguese-held Brazil), the Caribbean, Central America, and southern and western North America. back to text

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