paintings are invariably small, their dimensions limited by the size of the sheepskin. In the early years of Tigua paintings, most artists also painted and decorated the frames of the paintings, though now it is rare to find a painting with the decorated frame. There have also been changes in the type of paint. Not long ago, all Tigua artists painted with the inexpensive enamel paints available everywhere in Ecuador. But since these lead-based paints were found to be toxic, many have switched to oils or acrylics.
Tigua artists generally paint scenes of communal life: villagers herding livestock, spinning and weaving wool, harvesting crops and going to market, or enjoying a bullfight. Other favorite subjects are Cotopaxi, the sacred, snow-covered volcano, Quilatoa crater lake with its rugged slopes, and the condor, the legendary “messenger” of the Andes. Faces on rocks and mountains reflect the Tigua view that all nature is alive.
For the most part, Tigua paintings reflect traditional aspects of life with a broad perspective rather than portraits or abstract compositions—village or rural scenes of multiple figures, themes of community and nature are typical.
Festivals are a common theme. Although predominately Christian, the artists still represent the ancient rituals and festivals of pre-conquest origin. Festivals portrayed most frequently in Tigua paintings are Corpus Christi (celebrated in June, a fiesta uniting Inca harvest festivals with medieval Christianity), Noche Buena (Christmas Eve), and Tres Reyes (Three Kings). And since music is inseparable from the festival, Tigua paintings typically pay homage to musicians and their instruments—flute, panpipe, drum, and bocina, the long wood horns blown on