Archangel Arcabucero San Miguel Pallaques Andean Crafts

The Archangel Saint Michael of Pallaques is a religious and cultural representation that combines elements of Andean Baroque art with Catholic iconography brought by the Spanish, but reinterpreted by indigenous peoples.
Saint Michael is one of the most important archangels in the Judeo-Christian tradition. He is known as the celestial warrior who fights against evil, especially Lucifer and his demons. He is associated with divine justice, protection, and the defense of the faith.
In the context of Andean viceregal art, arquebusier angels are representations of angels armed with arquebuses (firearms from the colonial era). This style was characteristic of the Cuzco school of painting in the 17th and 18th centuries and is believed to have emerged as a way of imposing divine authority, adapting the figures of conquistadors into heavenly soldiers.
The image of an angel armed with an arquebus symbolizes divine power and the idea that God's justice can also be military and punitive.