Pilgrimage, mountain worshiping, and human - non-human entities interaction in the South Andes: A case study from the North Calchaquí Valley (Salta, Argentina)

ALEJANDRO FERRARI; FÉLIX A. ACUTO; IVÁN LEIBOWICZ; JOAQUÍN IZAGUIRRE; CRISTIAN JACOB

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

Elsevier

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2021

0278-4165

Indigenous peoples of the Andes have shared their territories with a variety of animated and sacred non-humanentities, with whom they have maintained complex interactions. Because these entities are providers of the vitalelements that human communities need to guarantee their survival and reproduction, people must treat themwith respect and affection. This entails reattributing with rituals, offerings, and attention, the goods and materialsthese entities supply them. Denial and neglect make these entities sad and angry, and willing to harmpeople in different ways. In this paper, we discuss how Diaguita-Kallchakí communities from the North CalchaquíValley (Argentina) interacted with the sacred high-altitude territory of Nevado de Cachi during pre-Hispanictimes, with the wak?as that dwelled in it, and how this interaction was completely transformed once the Inkasconquered and settled in the region around CE 1400/1450. We show that the Inkas not only reorganizedpilgrimage and ritual activities in this area, but they also intentionally marked their presence in order torepresent themselves as superior entities capable of dealing, without risk, with non-human forces.