Abstract

In this article I analyze the cultural consecration of Peruvian singer Yma Sumac, that is, her aesthetic value in terms of social construction. Lately, research on cultural consecration emphasizes its increasingly interactive character, the weight that non-aesthetic criteria have in it and the relative way in which it integrates non-metropolitan propositions. In this paper, introducing the civilizational criterion allows to appreciate that cultural consecration can respond to different value regimes that are related asymmetrically, through hybrid and unstable configura-tions that can be at the origin of unexpected revaluations. From the revised hemerographic, musical and audiovisual materials, Yma Sumac emerges as a versatile figure of the global contemporary scene, which updates the identity projection of Peruvian folklore and the stardom of the Hollywood show, while altering them through a rarefied and residual musical performance.