Experience the music and culture from this famous South American mountain range, which extends from north to south through Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. Enjoy dance and musical performances, try your hand at instrument-making crafts, a themed menu, and indulge in regional wine samples!

The museum store features handmade instruments, jewelry and crafts from Peru, Bolivia and Chile, as well as Andean music and books for both children and adults. There is a photo booth, and a craft area where guests can make Siku pan pipes, a traditional instruments played all over the Andes region.

There are plenty of other neat ways to learn more about the Andes region. Check them out below!

Los Waukis Andinos Musical Performance
10:30–11:15 a.m.
North El Río
Kick off the day by learning all about the indigenous music of the Andes with a performance by this talented Phoenix-based band. “Los Waukis” means “the brothers” in the Quechua language—a phrase that reflects the diversity of backgrounds and influences of the band members, who hail from Peru, Bolivia, and Mexico, yet who are united in their shared love for the music of the Andes.

Face Painting
11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
South El Río
Add a touch of color and whimsy to your look! Have your face painted with a custom design by artists from Evolving Through Art.

Special Lunch Menu Available for Purchase
11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
Café Allegro
Visit the café and enjoy a South American–themed menu inspired by flavors from the longest mountain range in the world.

Gaiteros del Valle Performance
12:30–1:15 p.m.
North El Río
Join this lively band for a performance of Venezuelan folk music—their specialty—and other traditional music from the Andean region. The group will make you want to get out of your seat and dance, as they take you on a “musical tour” of the Andes.

Curator Talk: “Two Thousand Years of Andean Musical Instruments”
1:45–2:30 p.m.
Event Room 2
The Andes region has one of the richest histories of musical instruments in the world, nurtured by numerous complex ancient cultures for over two thousand years prior to European colonial contact, and then transformed by cultural blending and modernization in the last few centuries. Join Dr. Daniel Piper, MIM’s curator for Latin America and the Caribbean, for a fascinating talk and multimedia presentation that explores Andean instruments and what we can learn from them about cultural change and continuity in the region over the millennium. Piper’s presentation will elaborate on MIM’s extensive Andean collection and related exhibits. Guests are invited after the talk to visit the Andean section of the Latin America Gallery.

Chile Canta y Baila Performance
3:15–4:00 p.m.
North El Río
Since 1995, Chile Canta y Baila has traveled all over Arizona with support from the Chilean Cultural Center of Arizona, sharing the South American country’s heritage through song and dance. Be sure to catch the group’s vibrant presentation of live music and dances from the Andes region of northern Chile.

This neat opportunity is available daily at the Musical Instrument Museum with paid admission. Entry is free for Circle of Friends and The Friends of Musical Instrument Museum

Address: 4725 E. Mayo Blvd. Phoenix, AZ

Open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

For more information, call 480-478-6071 or visit https://mim.org/events/experience-the-andes/