El horizonte que separa el espacio empírico —visible y abarcable— de un imaginario lleno de peligros, riquezas y seres fantásticos, ha representado durante siglos la frontera más difícil de franquear que haya trazado la mente humana. El Paititi —la ciudad perdida de los incas, oculta en la selva amazónica; el país de la abundancia al este de los Andes, poblado por naciones prósperas y belicosas; una montaña o laguna llena de tesoros— es una de las leyendas más fecundas y persistentes en la geografía de las tierras incógnitas sudamericanas. Una leyenda errante, esquiva y por ello mismo irresistiblemente seductora. Desde la colonia temprana su destello atrajo a cientos de aventureros en busca de prodigiosas fortunas, intrépidos militares ávidos de la gloria terrenal y abnegados misioneros, cazadores de almas sedientas de salvación. El libro, escrito por Vera Tyuleneva...

In July 2013 I published the article "Cusco: art and surroundings" (Tyuleneva 2013) in the electronic magazine Valicha. Its purpose was, neither more nor less, than to outline the panorama of Cusco art in recent years. Shortly after the article appeared, comments began to pour in. They were mostly embarrassed reactions from the artists: "Why am I not in your article?" It must be recognized that almost all the claims were fair and that my usual answers were reduced to "...because you don't fit into the mainstream", "...because I don't know how to classify you" or simply "...because I missed it". Almost immediately it became clear that the text was in need of revision and that the grievous omissions had to be rectified. This article is a new version of the same topic, expanded and corrected, but by no means definitive.