Copyright by Kathryn Ann Metz 2010 - The University of Texas at ...

pulled more and more into the national political and economic arena, requiring regional unity
in the face of tremendous change.
The changing economy of Iquitos has influenced its demographics and population
substantially. Migrants from nearby and distant indigenous and non-indigenous
communities that rarely have electricity or running water are lured by the prospect of
modern facilities, better educational opportunities, as well as the availability of manufactured
goods and investment capital. Industry executives, tourists and missionaries add to the
diversity of the city. Residents of Iquitos aspire to integrate politically, economically and
culturally into the national imaginary while still maintaining Amazonian roots and traditions.
Meanwhile, the city struggles to maintain economic stability and battles high levels of
unemployment because of its exploding population (Sotil 2000). The entire region has been
characterized by chronic cycles of underdevelopment that undermine occasional and
unsustainable economic booms (Chapter 2).
Cultural projects in Iquitos reflect its changing circumstances. Folkloric and popular
music groups carefully negotiate influences from the region‟s past and present. Radio
broadcasters, band managers and owners of live performance venues target new and old
audiences in creative ways, alternately emphasizing Amazonianness, transnational sounds, or
some combination of the two, enticing people from different backgrounds to consume their
products. Consumers respond by interpreting such mediated commercial initiatives,
formulating cosmopolitan regional identities grounded in local sounds.
Increased migration to Iquitos has diversified the city‟s music making, as one might
expect. And music making is one of the ways in which notions of regional identity are
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