The Ayllu: The Basic Social Unit of the Aymara People

Authors

Tomas Alarcon, Aymara Parliament

First Page

449

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The Aymara People have inhabited this Earth since time immemorial. Their civilization dates back to 1200 B.C., and their culture was based in the ancient city of Tiwanaku, between 400 and 1000 AD. Since its organization, the dwellers of this great city have endured and resisted conquest by the Inca empire, the Spanish, and the modem states surrounding Lake Titicaca. The Aymara now live in the Andes within the borders of Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.Their territory is an altiplano or plateau, Poopo, in the region surrounding Lake Titicaca at 4,000 meters above sea level. The Aymara ancestors selected this territory to construct their civilization. They had travelled around the world and yet selected this particular location to live. In fact, their land is the force behind their claim to self-determination.

Recommended Citation

Tomas Alarcon, The Ayllu: The Basic Social Unit of the Aymara People, 14 St. Thomas L. Rev. 449 (2001).
Available at: https://scholarship.stu.edu/stlr/vol14/iss2/14