Diaguita narrative and fusion music for a new imaginary

This article describes and analyzes the discourses and performances of five artists from the Coquimbo region of Chile, who through their performances fuse different musical genres with Diaguita roots. The objective is to ascertain the elements that comprise these roots, and the imaginary that they have created concerning this culture. The context of this analysis is closely related to popular music and fusion genres. As such, the research was carried out from an ethnomusicological perspective, using the ethnographic method and techniques such as participant observation and interviews with musicians from the semi-arid north of Chile, the same area that the Diaguita people have historically occupied. It follows that there is a growing need to reclaim Diaguita roots in a country that is experiencing profound structural changes and whose indigenous peoples have been absent from official republican history. Currently, some performers from this region adopt a visual and sonic aesthetic manifested in the use of designs, colors, musical instruments and sounds, to support their fusions and create new imaginaries.