Jaime Perugachi - Chess set - 32 miniaturas pintadas a mano - Ceramics

A singular collection chess set inspired by one of the great cultural encounters in the history of the Americas: the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors and the end of the Mexica world of Mexico-Tenochtitlan at the beginning of the 16th century.

More than a simple game, the set is conceived as a small historical scene in 32 characters. The two armies face each other on the board not through the traditional abstract chess pieces, but through carefully modeled and polychromed human figures, animals, and architectural elements, each with its own personality.

In one side is represented the Mesoamerican Indigenous universe, traditionally associated with Moctezuma and the Mexica world, with warriors wearing elaborate headdresses, large earrings, ceremonial elements, and vivid reddish, ochre, and gold tones. The female presence can be related to the figure of Malintzin or La Malinche, one of the fundamental figures of the encounter between the two worlds for her role as interpreter and mediator during Hernán Cortés’s expedition.

Facing them is the Spanish army. Its characters are immediately distinguished by beards, European headdresses, cavalry, and architectural motifs. The royal couple of the set is traditionally interpreted as Ferdinand and Isabella, used here symbolically as the personifications of the Hispanic monarchy linked to the beginning of the American expansion. The chess not intends to reproduce literally a single historical moment, but to turn an entire period into a miniature narrative composition.

That is precisely where much of the piece’s charm lies: every move on the board visually becomes an episode of the encounter between two civilizations.

Research on sets of this type closely links it to the Andean artisanal production of Otavalo, Ecuador. There are documented examples of the same concept and dimensions marketed as chess sets of “indigenous peoples against Spanish colonizers,” made of wood and ceramic and produced with the participation of Otavalo artisans. The documented open board for these pieces measures 6.3 × 6.3 inches — about 16 × 16 cm — nearly exactly matching this specimen.

The board proper is made of decorated wood, with abundant geometric and figurative ornamentation that continues along its sides. Its ingenious folding construction allows it to transform into a small box: when open it measures approximately 16 × 16 × 3 cm, while when closed it is reduced to only 16 × 8 × 6 cm, storing the thirty-two figures inside.

The pieces are small ceramic sculptures, polychromed, about 3 to 4 cm tall. Despite their small size they display a remarkable amount of detail: facial expressions, beards, hairstyles, headdresses, armor, jewelry, horses, and architectural elements are individually modeled and subsequently highlighted with a handmade, craft-like polychromy.

Especially attractive are the differences that can be seen from one miniature to another. Being a manual work, the faces, strokes, colors, and small finishes lack the uniformity of industrial manufacturing. These irregularities are precisely part of their personality: each character preserves the imprint of hand modeling and painting, making two figures with the same role within the game not completely identical.

The horses, the kings and queens especially demonstrate this work well, with eyes, manes, garments, and architectural bases treated individually. Their small size further enhances the set’s merit: all those details are concentrated in figures only a few centimeters tall.

The result is a piece that functions simultaneously as chess, decorative object, traditional craft, and collection of historical miniatures.

The set is complete with its 32 figures, folding board, and interior compartment to store them.

Main features:
- Handcrafted chess with a Conquest of Mexico / Indigenous world against Spanish colonizers theme.
- 32 hand-painted miniatures.
- Ceramic figures, approximately 3–4 cm in height.
- Board-box made of decorated wood.
- Open dimensions: approximately 16 × 16 × 3 cm.
- Closed dimensions: approximately 16 × 8 × 6 cm.
- Folding board with interior space to store the pieces.
- Handmade crafting and painting, with small individual variations inherent to the artisanal process.
- Likely Andean artisanal production, stylistically related to sets documented from Otavalo, Ecuador.
- Exact manufacturing date unknown, probably the 1980s or 1990s.

A small historical theater turned into a chessboard: thirty-two characters modeled and painted individually confront two worlds in barely sixteen centimeters. A piece especially attractive for collectors of thematic chess, Latin American craft, and historical miniatures.