Atahualpa Yupanqui

Héctor Roberto Chavero, who took the Quechua name Atahualpa Yupanqui ('he who comes from afar to recount things'), was born on January 31, 1908, in Pergamino. He spent decades traveling on horseback across the rugged valleys of Tucumán and Jujuy, learning the acoustic secrets of indigenous flute, zamba, and milonga rhythms.

Persecuted and blacklisted by Perón's government for his communist affiliations, Yupanqui was invited to Paris in 1950 by Édith Piaf, who introduced him at the Théâtre de l'Athénée to thunderous acclaim. He recorded over 350 songs, including 'Los ejes de mi carreta', 'El arriero', and 'Camino del indio', and authored the epic poem El payador perseguido, earning the French Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.