Julio Benavente Diaz was born on the 18th November 1913 in the Cuzco region… Read Full Bio ↴Julio Benavente Diaz was born on the 18th November 1913 in the Cuzco region of Peru. As a child he learned to play several instruments including harmonica, Andean flute (quena) and guitar. He was chiefly known as a performer on the charango, a small stringed instrument similar to the mandolin.

He worked as a teacher and for various social and cultural organisations across Peru, learning many songs as he travelled. Most of these songs were in the Quechua language. Through these activities he helped preserve many traditional aspects of the culture of rural Peru.

His main influences were his brother Juan de Dios Benavente and the charangists Pancho Silva Canal and Pancho Gomez Negron.