Symbolic and Material Boundaries An archaeological genealogy of the Urus of Lake Poopó, Bolivia SYMBOLIC AND MATERIAL BOUNDARIES AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL GENEALOGY OF THE URUS OF LAKE POOPÓ, BOLIVIA Virginia Sáenz African and Comparative Archaeology Department of Archaeology and Ancient History Uppsala University, Sweden 2006 !" # $ % & $ '(( )(*(( + " + + " ", !" - ", ./ 0 1, '((, . 2 3 , 4 " + " + 5 6 3 , '7 , , 8.3& 9):;(:)797:9, !" " + 3 8 -" " + < + " , 4 + " + " - + " 4 " 4" . ++ " - " " , + - " + " " - " + " 8 " + 5 6 + " " = + " 3 "" , !" + " , !" + " " " + " 8 " 3 4 - " 4 " >" , ? - " . " < - , !" +- " " " , % " + " ++ + : " " " " + " , 8 4 3 5 6 4 " " 4 " 4" 4" 5 . : " ! "#" $ $% &'()*#" $ @ 1 ./ 0 '(( 8.3& 9):;(:)797:9 * *** :A)9 B" *CC ,,C D E * *** :A)9F TABLE OF CONTENTS Frame of Reference: General Project Presentation of the Sida-SAREC/UMSA Bolivian Project 9 List of Illustrations (Figures, Maps, Photographs, Drawings, Diagrams) 11 Note on Abbreviations, Acronyms, Local Cameloids 21 List of names frequently quoted in the text 22 Foreword and acknowledgments 25 CHAPTER I – DEFINING THE RESEARCH FIELD Introduction 27 Why Anthropology? 27 Why Archaeology? 28 The subject 28 The method 29 A note on sources and translations 31 CHAPTER II – THE PROBLEMS Introduction 33 The Researcher and: 33 • The basis of the social structure in Bolivia 33 • The Bolivian academic context 34 • The local science paradigm 35 • The lack of indigenous philosophy 36 • Why are these problems for the researcher? 36 The Research and: 37 • The Lake Poopó 38 • Early occupations in the area 39 • The ancestors of the current population 40 • The Spaniards portray as from the initial contacts 42 • The origins of Andes and Bolivia 47 CHAPTER III – THE URUS The sources 49 Colonial sources 49 The Urus as categories 52 Sources from the 20th century 53 • Arthur Posnansky 54 • Nathan Wachtel 55 What these sources illustrate 58 The Urus of today 60 • The visions of Urus on the Urus 60 • The visions on Urus as the ‘other’ 65 A voluminous ethnography on Urus? 68 • The Chipayas 68 CHAPTER IV – THE FIELDWORK EXPERIENCE The initial approach 73 Quillacas 74 Pampa Aullagas 76 • Historical past of (Pampa)Aullagas 79 • Uru Population in Pampa Aullagas? 81 • Uru occupation patterns in Pampa Aullagas? 82 Fieldwork as aid in understanding descriptions 83 What has been found and where 84 • Choro 85 • San Miguel de Uruquilla 85 • Pairumani 86 • Calzar Vintu 87 CHAPTER V – FIELDWORK IN SUXTITA Introduction 91 A perspective on the Ayllu and the Population 95 Communal Lands and Economy: an overview of Suxtita 96 Communities in ayllu Suxtita 98 • Asurcollu or Asurqullu 99 • Challa 102 • Challapuju 103 • Tola Collu 104 • Añawani 106 • Jaransirka 108 • Nueva Florida 109 • Kalpata 110 • Bella Vista or Ukatuju 111 • Kaqasa 112 • Lupikipa 114 Suxtita revisited in 2003 115 • Relationship between people and landscape 115 • Occupation patterns in Suxtita 119 • Calendar of activities in Suxtita 121 • Occupation patterns on mount Pedro Santos Willka 122 Occupation patterns on the shores of Lake Poopó 123 • Ayllu Suxtita 123 • Ayllu Sakatiri 124 • Chullpa 126 Occupations patterns in Calzar Vintu revisited 127 CHAPTER VI – ETHNOARCHAEOLOGY IN ASURCOLLU Introduction 131 The first settlement area 133 The second settlement area 134 • The circular structure in Calzar Vintu 136 The third settlement area 137 • The circular structure in Asurcollu 138 Brief archaeological discussion 140 CHAPTER VII – A WORLD WITH A SCIENCE MADE OF DISCIPLINES Overview 141 The standpoints on their own 141 • Anthropology 142 • History 148 • Archaeology 150 • Linguistics 152 • Sociology 154 • Aspects of other disciplines 155 The standpoints altogether 156 • The ethnic markers, where are they? 157 • Coming fullcircle 157 The distance crossed 158 Back to a world where disciplines are Science and Science is part of the world 159 REFERENCE LIST 161 GLOSSARY 174 APPENDICES Appendix 1: An account of a visit to Angwaki, a village of the Uros Indians 185 on the river Desaguadero in Bolivia. In Communication manuscrite of December 1st, 1916, Gothenburg, Cecil Gosling (quoted in Créqui-Montfort and Rivet, Appendix of 1925–7, 105–7). Appendix 2: The Urus of the island of Panza, in Lake Poopó, 187 Arthur Posnansky, 1938, 113–9. Appendix 3: Jesucristo-Tatalantix Supaytinsi-Chullpantix, 191 Thomas Abercrombie, 1998, 323–4. Appendix 4: The Legend of Tunupa, Barragán & Molina, 1987. 193 Appendix 5: Dress style in the Andes. 195 Appendix 6: La cultura Chipaya, in La Razón, August 2, 2006. 200 ILLUSTRATIONS 203 FRAME OF REFERENCE This thesis is the result of a research project supported by Sida/SAREC, the Swedish Agency for Research Co-operation with Developing Countries. Contacts and activities between Sida/SAREC and the state University of La Paz in Bolivia, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA), were initiated in 1998 and a bilateral research co-operation agreement was signed in July 2000. Two ecologically different regions in Bolivia were chosen for Sida/SAREC support: one in the Altiplano of Oruro, and the other in the Chapare area near Cochabamba. The Altiplano area was to be the responsibility of UMSA – La Paz, and the region of the Lake Poopó and Desaguadero River in the Bolivian plateau (Altiplano), was selected as the research area (Figs. 1.a–c). The programme was intended as a multidisciplinary basis for policy recommendations for a sustainable development of the region. Institutional support and research training were stated as the main objectives of Sida cooperation, and three project areas for UMSA were approved: Area I: Strengthening research management at UMSA Area II: Natural Science and Technology, involving: A Research on plant biodiversity (Natural Products Chemistry) B Research on Microbial Biochemistry (Biotechnology) C Development of Chemical Process Technology D Water Resources Management (Hydrology/Hydraulics/Hydrochemistry) Area III: Social Science and Humanities, involving: A Interethnic relations (History) B Aymara Encyclopaedia (Linguistics) C Habitat in Andean region (Habitat/Architecture) D Cultural Autodefinition (Anthropology/Archaeology) The research project approved for the Institute of Anthropological and Archaeological Research (IIAA) at UMSA, generally defined as Cultural Autodefinition in the Poopó area, was called The Territoriality in the Desaguadero and Poopó Region from an Internal View. The research objectives aimed at the creation of a logical framework to facilitate the integration of various disciplines, together with an active participation of members of the communities covered by the project, while carrying out a holistic study of the ‘spatial reality’ of the local people (p.19 of Project Abstract). Furthermore, the methodologies to be created through this particular approach were intended as a point of departure for new directions within archaeological and anthro- pological research, as well as ‘be instrumental in the auto-definition of needs and identities of different ethnical groups forming part of the Bolivian reality’ (ibid.) The capacity building objectives of the project, aimed at the training/education of two PhD candidates, as well as the engagement into the project of students as research assistants ‘in order to further strengthen the research area’ (ibid.). Therefore, financial support was granted in support of: a) Strengthening of the Institute of Anthropological and Archaeological Research (IIAA) by means of funds for purchasing equipment destined to archaeological and anthropological research activities b) Training/education of two PhD candidates selected among UMSA teachers in Anthropology and Archaeology. Research training to a PhD degree was facilitated in Sweden through the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, at Uppsala University. 9 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Frame of Reference: General Project Presentation of the Sida/SAREC UMSA Bolivian Project Figure 1 a–c. (a) Map of South America, (b) Map of Bolivia, (c) Map of Lake Poopó – (a) Mapa de Sud América, (b) Mapa de Bolivia, (c) Mapa del Lago Poopó (prepared by Markku Pyykönen): p. 205 CHAPTER II – THE PROBLEMS Figure II.1 Lake Poopó – El lago Poopó (prepared by Markku Pyykönen): p. 231 Figure II.2 Waldseemüller’s map of America in 1507 – Mapa de América según Waldseemüller en 1507: p. 232 (Courtesy of http://www.1421.tv/assets/images/maps/waldseemuller.jpg) CHAPTER III – THE URUS Figure III.1 Map of the Territory occupied by the Urus in ancient times – Mapa del Territorio antiguamente ocupado por los Urus (In: Créqui-Montfort & Rivet, 1925–1927): p. 206 Figure III.2 Repartition of Urus in the southern Andes and the “aquatic axis” in the 16th century – Repartición de los Urus en los Andes meridionales y el « eje acuático » (After Wachtel 1978, pp. 1128–29): p. 206 Figure III.3 The Chipaya Territory – El territorio Chipaya (In Wachtel 1990, p. 15 fig. 1): p. 206 Figure III.4 A Chipaya girl with plaited hairdo – Joven Chipaya, Oruro, Bolivia (Bolivian Photo Agency): p. 233 CHAPTER IV – THE FIELDWORK EXPERIENCE Pampa Aullagas Figure IV.1 Abercrombie’s rendering of the layout of reducciones after Matienzo’s recommendation from 1567, Fig. 6.3 – Interpretación de Abercrombie sobre