Date
Meaning & History
Yma Sumac was the stage name of Peruvian soprano Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chávarri del Castillo (1922-2008). She based it on her mother's name, which was derived from Quechua ima shumaq meaning "how beautiful!", although in interviews Sumac claimed it meant "beautiful girl" or "beautiful flower".Ima Sumac was also used in the Quechua-language play 'Ollantay' (the oldest known manuscript of which dates to the 18th century), where it belongs to the daughter of the title hero and his lover, the Inca princess Cusi Coyllur.