With a timeless quality, the flute music of the Andes seems to rise from the mountains with an airy, mystical tone that, when mixed with a guitar and the stringed instrument charango, creates a propulsive, uplifting tune.

It’s music for the spirit.

Wayanay Inka, practitioners of this ancient musical tradition, recently came to town to share their craft and love for Incan rhythms by playing at the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council’s Regional Arts Center.

At times their music sounds like the wind playing in the trees or the rain cascading down a mountain. It sounds like it comes from the land.

Before their show here in Texarkana, José Albornoz shared some of his insights into the rich musical legacy shared through Wayanay Inka. He plays the charango, a stringed instrument native to the Andes. He was joined by Dante Montoya on guitar and flutist Gerardo Tovar.

Albornoz said what they perform is essentially music of the Andes mountains.

“We have the Andes mountain range over there ... the main instrument are the flutes, the different kinds of flutes, that we inherited from the Incas, the Inca civilization from South America. The music, the different rhythms (make) a very powerful song,” he said.

The Inca created a powerful empire originating in the Peruvian mountains that grew to include portions of Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile and Columbia from 1438 to 1533. Ultimately, the Inca Empire was defeated by Spanish conquistadors.

There are two kinds of flutes in this Andean musical tradition, each part of a family of instruments.

“The single flute is called quena. And we have the quena in different sizes for different tunes, different octaves,” Albornoz said. “Depending on the region where you are in Peru, you have different styles and the main material used actually is bamboo.”

In ancient times, though, they could be made of clay, stone, or different varieties of wood. “You can go back about 3,000 years, and you will find very old quenas from people before the Incas even.”

The other kind of flute, he explained, is a kind of panpipe flute with two rows of 13 to 16 bamboo canes tied together. It’s called a siku.

“When you play, you have to play every othercane to make the melody. You have to jump from one row to the other. It’s a very special technique playing that,” said Albornoz, noting it’s a tradition passed on from their parents. “We learn to play at a very young age ... but we learn by the ear. We didn’t go to a music school.”

They’ve learned much from other countries and other musicians about playing sikus, and they enjoy learning more each day.

Albornoz said the music they practice is still popular today and there is an effort to preserve the tradition.

“We are very, very proud of our Inca heritage,” he said. “Over there in Peru there are many groups, many musicians, that still play the quena, the sikus, the ancient flutes and the different rhythms—very old rhythms of the Inca the Incas left to us.”

There are also traditional dances with colorful costumes to accompany the music.

“It’s really beautiful,” said Albornoz.

In addition to the traditional rhythms, Wayanay Inka are proficient musicians who can take familiar, Western works like “Amazing Grace” or the Baroque piece “Pachelbel’s Canon” and perform them through the musical style of their Andean tradition.

The group formed in 1984 but have played together since 1980. Their home is now San Antonio, Texas, and they’ve been in the United States since 1994.

“Little by little, we became more serious. We got involved in more serious events, and then we got invited to make a recording for a record label over there in Peru,” said Albornoz.

Their success spurred them to travel overseas. They’re thankful to be part of the artist roster for the Texas Commission on the Arts, which has led them to teach at schools and make presentations across the Lone Star state.

“We love to play on the stage at theaters,” Albornoz said.

Their stop in Texarkana was a smaller presentation, but it gave a taste of what they can do. Three members came to town, although a full team can consist of six or seven members playing together.

At the heart of their mission, though, is a desire to share the heritage they celebrate through music.

On their Website, Wayanay Inka describes its purpose in this way: “Our intention is to express through our song, not only the customs, ways of life, and images of the Andean culture, but also to reflect fully the people who inhabit those lands, sometimes full of pain and sorrow, yet always with their hearts full of hope. Experience has shown that the music of a people reflects their innermost being; and this is why we feel compelled to allow our songs, with their poetry, to become merged with our people’s historical journey.”

For Wayanay Inka, it’s essential to share their roots.

“This is so important because everybody needs to know where we come from. It’s our mission on earth. If you don’t know where you come from, you don’t have all the knowledge or the perception,” said Albornoz.

“In our case, I said before we are very proud of our Inca culture or heritage because the Incas were a great civilization, one of the greatest of the time. And they disappeared because when the Europeans came to our continent, they were looking just for gold and silver,” he explained. “But they (the Inca) had a lot of knowledge that still today even the scientists cannot understand how the Incas built huge stone cities on top of the mountains or astronomical places. They understood the stars, the galaxies.”

The Inca were an advanced civilization in many ways, including agriculture through the use of terraces built into the mountains.

The knowledge of the Inca, believes Albornoz, is being lost.

“We feel sad on that part, but we keep our culture alive. Still today if you go today, you will find people dressing in the old ways,” he said, noting that when the Spaniards came they mixed with the native people, giving birth to the mestizo, people with a cross-cultural mix.

“Trying to keep our culture alive is very important for us because it gives us a lot of knowledge. We understand the nature of a different way. We have a lot of respect for nature, for example. For us the earth is pachamama ... the mother earth,” he said.

In the Incan view of the world, the mountains are alive and worthy of respect and tribute.

“We love the plants, the animals, because they provide us a way of living here, so we care of a lot of nature,” said Albornoz. Reflecting on this “mother civilization,” he believes that it could help an earth now in danger.

When Wayanay Inka are not traveling, they’re playing at home, still sharing the tradition so others may listen.

“We’re very thankful also with the city of San Antonio, Texas, because we have their sponsorship for playing all year round at Market Square,” said Albornoz. “It’s a beautiful place. When we are not traveling we are there for sure.”

People who’d like to discover their music can visit their Website (www.wayanay.com) to learn not only about Wayanay Inka but also their culture.

Coming to Texarkana, Wayanay Inka have not only performed but also taught through TRAHC’s ArtSmart program.

“It’s great. We went to nine schools, elementary and middle schools, and the response of the kids was great. They enjoyed it. They enjoyed everything, the music—they started clapping, singing, because we played songs they already know, like the Christmas carols. They started singing right away,” said Albornoz.

Beyond enjoyment, there’s an instructive purpose.

“They learn a lot because we do this trying to educate them in different music from another part of the world and new instruments so they would learn the name of our flutes,” he said.

Judging by the children, whose rapt attention was stirred right here in Texarkana, Wayanay Inka may have found a new generation to carry forth that appreciation of Andean music into the future.