Juan Lazzaro Mendolas is a Quechua musician and composer. In 1975, Lazzaro founded the musical group Markama, meaning “pueblo” in his native language Quechua. The group became known within Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia and was one of the leading folklore music groups in the time of Argentina's military dictatorship, often being banned from public spaces because of its Quechua and Spanish lyrics about social change and life as a campesino. Shortly after Lazaro left the group that he founded, he started his solo career, releasing an album every decade. The first being “Amistad” and the second “Diversisdad.” Lazaro is mainly known for his quena (the Andean flute) but he also plays other instruments such as the double flute called the dulzaina. Lazzaro’s music incorporates traditional Andean folklore music with guitar, bass, dreams, and as of more recently classical orchestra instruments. His lyrics are often in Quechua, and his melodies vary from his compositions to traditional sounds he grew up with being from the Altiplano region.