Biography

Chambi learned photography in 1900 and from 1908 to 1917 was an apprentice to the photographer Max T. Vargas in Arequipa, Peru. In 1917, he opened his own studio in Sicuani, Peru and in 1920, he moved to Cuzco, where he practiced commercial portrait photography and also recorded the "heritage of the Indian culture in the highland", in an effort to preserve it. In the years between 1920 and 1939, Chambi documented the city of Cuzco and the regional architecture of Peru. In 1924-1925, Chambi set up a second studio in Cuzco which operated until 1973. He was the co-founder of the Instituto Americano de Arte, Cuzco, in 1927-1928. He created postcard of stone walls Sacsayhuaman in Cuzco, later subject of Georgia O'Keeffe drawing.

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