Aymara Indian perspectives on development in the Andes - Eisenberg, Amy 1954- (University of Alabama Press, 2013)
Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-246) and index
Aymara Indians are a geographically isolated, indigenous people living in the Andes Mountains near Chile's Atacama Desert, one of the most arid regions of the world. As rapid economic growth in the area has begun to divert scarce water to hydroelectric and agricultural projects, the Aymara struggle to maintain their sustainable and traditional systems of water use, agriculture, and pastoralism. Amy Eisenberg provides a detailed exploration of the ethnoecological dimensions of the tension between the Aymara, whose economic, spiritual, and social life are inextricably tied to land and water, and three major challenges: the paving of Chile Highway 11, the diversion of the Altiplano waters of the Río Lauca for irrigation and power-generation, and Chilean national park policies regarding Aymara communities, their natural resources, and cultural properties within Parque Nacional Lauca, the International Biosphere Reserve
The Aymara : pre- and post-Columbian history -- The Aymara community today -- Jaqin Uraqpachat Amuyupa : Aymara cosmovision -- The Aymara cultural landscape -- Social and environmental impact assessment -- Aymara responses to a changing environment