Marcos Zapata

[1] He studied and later taught with the Cuzco School where he had a workshop with multiple apprentices working to produce vast amount of paintings.

He was one of the last members of the Cuzco School, an art center in which Spanish painters taught native students to paint religious works.

For instance, his 1753 rendering of the Last Supper shows Jesus and his twelve disciples gathering around a table laid with guinea pig and glasses of chicha.

Guinea pigs, native to Peru and a culinary delicacy, play a significant role in Andean culture.

[4] In the painting, traditional elements like bread and ceremonial cups are joined by native foods such as potato, rocoto relleno, and corn.

[6] His influential style developed between 1748 and 1773; The themes are primarily Christian subjects meant for churches in Peru and Chile.

[6] By order of the Jesuits, Zapata created another similar series of painting, assisted by his apprentice, Cipriano Gutiérrez.

His majestic representation enjoyed enormous acceptance, judging by the large numbers of copies and variants that circulated in throughout the region.

This painting is another example of Christian stories and beliefs infused with Peruvian detail; such as the animals in the background meant to resemble more native creatures to Peru along with gold decoration on items such as cloth.