Yawar Fiesta, the debut novel by José María Arguedas and first published in 1941, focused on social relations between Indians, mestizos and whites in the village of Puquio of Peru, and their reactions towards the edict of Indian bullfights in favor of Spanish bullfights. Firstly, Arguedas examined the two languages—Spanish and Quechua—to properly portrayed the Indigenous community . This is importance because it allowed to understand the perspective from the indigenous people in their own language, rather than in Spanish in possibilities words might be lost in translation. In addition, language can be used as a powerful tool of influence; Spanish, recognized as the national language of Peru, shaped the nation and denied the language of the…show more content… Central plot point of the novel begins as Indian prepared to celebrate the national day of Peru on July 28th. One of the traditional activities for celebration is the Indigenous bullfight. Typically, the spectacle is composed of nearly two hundred Indians, toreros or capeadores, in which the bull must confront. Consumption of liquor, loud music from trumpets made out of bullhorns, possibility of death among the participants and the usage of dynamite to kill the bull is an important aspect of the celebration; however, it caused negative reactions from other communities in the town Puquio. In reaction, mistis—Quechua word for white or upperclassmen—considered the celebration as savage, barbaric and unfit for their town. Tension occurred in the response of the decision by the government; the prohibition on bullfights. However, the Indians refused to comply with the order and continued with their tradition. In order to calm both parties, the village government offered a resolution: the bullfight remained as long it performed decently and required them to hire a professional Spanish bullfighter. The resolution did not terminate the bullfight; however, in the eyes of the Indigenous people, it still placed a threat on the festival itself—if they complied towards the Spanish-style bullfight. However, the festival is carried out regardless of the village leaders’ edict—as Indians and mestizos flooded the streets of Puquio and continued on with the celebration. Yawar Fiesta does placed major focus on the towns of Puquio in order to showcase the drama of politics and the clash between the social classes (Arguedas, xiv). However, the major actors of the tension resolved around Don Pancho, whom passionately object the ban, Don Demetrio supported the ban and Subprefect, the governor who seems to weigh in his thoughts of the matter, represent the idealist
