Welcome to the Aymara Region. Here you will find interesting information about this Chilean Indigenous People.
The region contains four main subjects: People (History, Social Organization, environment), Language (Gramma, Vocabulary), Customs (Spiritual World, Rituals, Mythology) and Art. Use the Interactive Map to take an animated tour of this people´s region. The teachers and students will find contents (texts and images) that be able for Printing.
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During the last decades there has been a growing process of acculturation, increased by the Aymara mobility.
There have been massive migrations to the ports of Arica and Iquique, as well as to nearby pampa villages.
As a consequence, this process has weakened the Aymara language, leaving uncertain its future.
From the Aymara view, the main causes of this process have been droughts, religious conflicts, educational problems, social pressure and the search for new job opportunities.
Currently, the Aymara population in Chile is 89.284 people, living mainly in the First and in the Metropolitan regions.
The Aymara conceive the Andean environment, where they originated and where find well being for their community, as their proper habitat. The natural environment and the supernatural world constitute their reality.
Droughts, children's education and religious conflicts are the principal causes for Aymara migration to the cities. Due to their great commercial ability and tendency to save money, they have improved their occupational opportunities, keeping a strong sense of autonomy in their businesses at local and regional.
Currently, there are 48.477 Aymaras (1992 census). Only 12.397 reside in the original territories, located in Parinacota - Putre and General Lagos Province. This shows a tendency to migrate from their ancestral habitat.
However, there are three Aymara groups that have lived for over 1000 years in the precordillera of Iquique.
These groups align along the axis of Isluga - Camiña, Cariquima - Tarapaca and Mamiña - Pica.
In Chile, the Aymara people are distributed in two main territories: most living in the province of Tarapaca and the others in the province of Atacama.
The first group are located in the precordillera and the higher plateaus, from north to south, between the national boundaries with Peru and Bolivia, and the small towns of Ayquina and Toconce.
In the east, the Aymara territory limits with Bolivia and expands to west along a line thar connects Visviri to Ayquina, crossing through the towns of Putre, Livilcar, Mamiña, Pica and Lequena.
The second zone corresponds to a small area in the Atacameño territory. From north to south, it stretches from the outskirts of Caspana to Talabre.
Through this territory, a complex cultural expansion has taken place.
The extended patrilineal and virilocal family is the basic unity of traditional Aymara social organization. A man and his wife, his married sons, daughters-in-law and his grandsons and granddaughters, along with his single sons and daughters, compose the family.
In this extensive family, each nuclear unit is monogamous. The extensive family occupies several houses with separate facilities for each nuclear family. Inside the families, children are trained to be submissive to their parents, and to obey the adults. From them is expected, at an early age, some help in domestic simple chores. Later on, they will join the more complex shepherding, agricultural and domestic activities.
There are two different types of Aymara communities, or ayllus: Andean Aymara, the traditional altiplanic community, and the Hispanic precordillerean peasant community. Each ayllu is made up of a group of villages, composed of many extended families. The second form corresponds to the Spanish model, based on a main plaza surrounded by its church and several public buildings.
Quechua and Aymara are related, they belong to a mother tongue known as Quechumara. From this root were born two linguistic families: Jaqi and Quechua.
This is one of the most important languages in America and its real name is Runasimi, standing for human bedings.
A number of seven million Quechua speakers are estimated in America.
Quehua language propagated from the south of Colombia to the north of Argentina and Central Chile. However, in spite of the Inca rule, the language did not remain in Chile.
Along with the numerous toponymics in the north, the Quechua language left its mark in some Mapudungun (Mapuche language) words, as numerals one hundred and one thousand: pataka and guaranka.
Is an indoamerican language spoken in the Andean zone around Titicaca Lake and other Chilean & Argentinean Andean locations.
It is a language belonging to the Jaqi family, which is the second most spoken language in the Andean area, after Quechua.
There are theories, which relate the Jaqi languages to Quechua, therefore they may be variations of a common language: Quechumara.
The Jaqi family is composed of three languages:
a) Kawki: spoken by some 200 ancients in Lima, Peru (Yauyos)
b) Jaqaru: around 2.000 people speak it, also Yauyos (Lima, Perú).
c) Aymara: 3 million people speak it. From the area surrounding Titicaca Lake (Bolivia - Perú) to some Chilean and Argentinean Andean locations.
Aymara spoken in Chile is quite similar to that spoken in Bolivia.
For some authors, the Aymara spoken in Chile is in a linguistically archaic stage, while that spoken in Bolivia shows more innovations.
On a stone table (altar) the Wilancha is performed, it is a sacrifice of blood, perfume, coca leaves, drops of alcohol and prayers. It consists of a ritual meal made with the sacrificed meat, along with traditional dances.
Sometimes a Yatiri consults with the hill: in loud voice, as if he was the condor who speaking, who in this ceremony represents the hill.
In these rituals the community expects the hill's spirit to give them the benefit of its productive waters and to protect them. Pachamama is honored in each activity or celebration and is offered coca leaves, drops of alcohol or whatever suits the occasion.
The livestock fertility festival. This is celebrated in January or February, during the fertile summer rain season, when grass is abundant and llamas are born.
The cult takes place in the livestock corral and it is there also, that the Arco of life is raised.
Pachamama is the Earth Mother, celebrated as a universal fertility mother, who feeds all life on the planet.
Another festivity, which honors Pachamama for giving food and life, is the Pachallampe.
This ritual consists of a dance, which simulates the sowing of seed potatoes.
This festivity takes place twice a year: in May, for the harvest, and in November, for seeding. Every Pachallampe has a captain and is guided by the community.
The Aymara people consider their habitat as the Andean environment, which gave origin and well being to their community. For them there is only one reality, but two atmospheres compose it: the natural environment and the supernatural world.
It is a religious vision, which sanctifies nature and legitimates mans position over it.
The Aymara concept of the world came into being many years ago and it reflects the principal changes of their history. Today, they consider their traditions as those religious rites based on their ancestors and religion is the Christian rituals and symbols.
Cattle adorned with flowers, carnivals and irrigation channel cleaning festivities ritually represent the Aymara spirituality.
The decoration of cattle with flowers is a rite destined to increase livestock through the cult to Mallku or the Mountain Spirit: for he is the owner of every wild animal.
This ritual consists of the branding of new cattle and the decoration all livestock with multicolor woolen ornaments.
Carnival is a syncretic rite associated to Lent and the harvest, as well to land and livestock fertility, this expression is a fusion of indigenous and Hispanic rites.
The irrigation channel cleaning is a festivity dedicated to the water cult, anciently known as the Amaru Myth, Snake in Quechua or Katari in Aymara. The cleaning and clearing of irrigation canals takes place just before the new sowing cycle.
Aymaras conceive their world as a space in which East or Orient is "In Front Of". Temples and houses must be oriented towards the east. It is the beginning of water and life. Sun and rains are also born there, referred to as the Cultivating Deity. Middle is valley and rivulets, is called "Near or Here".
West or Occident is "Under or Behind". This is where water is forbidden or vegetation ends; it is the desert. It is also the place where the dead go.
Viracocha went there, the Andean Cultivator, the Creator God, who went to the Grand Cocha (Pacific Ocean), after he finished creation.
These are the three Aymara spiritual areas.
Arajpacha symbolizes light and life. Towards the East.
Manquepacha symbolizes death and darkness. Towards the West.
And Akapacha it is the space between heaven and hell or between life and death, It is the center where the Aymara live.
The concept of Tinku deals with the balance and reciprocity between the community and those areas. (Tinku comes from Tincuy verb; to match, to equilibrate, to adapt.) The Aymara follow Tinku between Arajpacha and Manquepacha. They try to live in harmony, striving to reach the wisdom of Akapacha without going to any extremes.