Aimara indigenous people

Aimara indigenous people are known for their rich culture and traditions, which include music, dance, handicrafts and traditional dress. They are also known for their ancestral knowledge of agriculture, animal husbandry and natural medicine.
Historically, the Aymara have faced various challenges, including discrimination and social and economic marginalisation. In recent decades, however, there has been an increase in awareness and appreciation of Aymara culture in Peru.

The Aimara people is one of the most numerous Aimara indigenous people in our country. They have been characterised by their ability to recreate and adapt their culture to the profound political and social changes that have taken place since colonial times. This is reflected in the persistence of certain practices and institutions that retain traces of their pre-Hispanic origin. Undoubtedly, their native language is the most outstanding distinguishing feature of this people, which links them to each other and is the primary source of an identity distinct from the rest of national society.

The Aymara population has historically settled in areas of three neighbouring countries: PeruBolivia and Chile. In our country, the Aimara population is found mainly in six provinces of the department of Puno and in some rural districts of the departments of Moquegua and Tacna. However, the migratory process of the rural population that began in the middle of the 20th century has led to the existence of a significant number of Aimara people in large cities such as Lima, Arequipa and Tacna.

According to the information contained in the Official Database of Indigenous or Native Peoples (BDPI), the Aimara indigenous or native people have a total of 650 localities in which they live and/or exercise their collective rights, of which 616 are recognised as peasant communities. According to the 2017 National Census, the population of these localities amounts to approximately 151,301 people. Likewise, at the national level, 548,311 people feel or consider themselves to be part of the Aimara people.

Aimara indigenous people

How they live.

The Aimara people have traditionally been agricultural and livestock farmers. The communities of the Puno Altiplano and those of the inter-Andean valley of Moquegua are mostly dedicated to the cultivation of tubers, cereals and grains, as well as the raising of cattle, sheep and other small animals. Cereals and grains, as well as raising cattle, sheep and other small animals. Meanwhile, the communities located in the highlands are predominantly dedicated to. To the traditional livestock activity, through the breeding of South American camelids and sheep.

In agricultural and livestock activities, there are gender differences between the Aimara indigenous people, as it is the men who are in charge. On the one hand, men are in charge of ploughing and preparing the land, the harvesting of the produce, and on the other hand, women are in charge of sowing, selecting, preparing and harvesting the crops. On the other hand, women are in charge of sowing, selecting, preparing and processing food for different uses. In livestock farming, men are responsible for shearing cattle, while women are responsible for grazing (Ministry of Health, 2010).