Diaguita

Diaguita , is the denomination Quechua, propagated later on by Spanish, of a whole of independent people having a common idiom, the kakán or kakan . Pazioca or Paccioca named them-even.

Territory

They lived the Andean high mountains and the valleys of the North-West of the Argentinian (north-western Argentinian or NOA), in the provinces of Salta, Tucumán, Catamarca, Rioja, the north of that of San Juan, the extreme North-West of that of Córdoba and the small north of the Chile, in the transverse valleys of the areas of Atacama and Coquimbo. In the west of the Andes their border was established roughly on the río Choapa. One always preserves the vestiges of their clever constructions called by Quechuas will púkara (or pucará ), like the citadel of the Quilmes in province of Tucumán, Tolombón, Chicoana, Tilcara, Atapsi and Fuerte Quemado in province of Salta, etc.

History

Diaguitas arrived in small Chilean north since the current Argentinian North-West, towards the Ve and Life century S, thus replacing the culture known as of El Molle (agriculture and potteries), distributing itself in a surface located between the parallels 27º S (approximate septentrional limit) and the 32º S (approximate southernmost limit), populating the valleys of Copiapó, Huasco, Elqui, Limarí, Casapa and Choapa. In this zone, they were neighborly in north the Alpatama S or Atacamas and in the south the Picunche S. the relations between the " Diaguitas orientaux" or Argentinian and " Diaguitas occidentaux" or Chilean were continuous, fluid and narrow, as shows it the discoveries of remainders of molluscs and seafood come from the Chilean coasts in the Argentinian archaeological layers, and the decoration of ceramics with representations of typical Argentinian fauna (Jaguar, Nandou, armadillo ('' quirquincho '') etc) in the Chilean archaeological layers.

In the Argentinian North-western and small Chilean north, and especially in Valleys Calchaquies, starting from 850, Diaguitas developed a culture of a great richness, which, archaeologically corresponds to the Culture of Santa María. They lived in well traced and well organized localities. They used metals and were excellent potters.

The savage resistance of Diaguitas

To the beginning they opposed a tough resistance to the invasion quechua - or kechua - (1471 to 1533). By after, with dignity and bravery, during more than one hundred years, they succeeded in resisting in advance Spanish. There were the Wars Calchaquí are, during which were distinguished the chiefs Kipildor or Quipildor, Viltipoco (1561), Chelemín, Juan Kalchakí or Calchaquí, Koronhuila (called by the Spaniards " Coronilla") and also the curious adventure of the Andalusians " Bohórquez" - or Pedro Chamijo.

Culture Pazioca or Diaguita

The origin of Diaguitas differs from that of the Andean people. They had ethnic affinities with the Huarpes, the pampides and also the people Andean. At least starting from what is called the horizon of Tiwanaku, they accepted an important cultural influence from the Andes Centrales - i.e., since the Andean area located between the southern 20º and the line of the equator -. This influence was nun, artistic in the style of ceramics, etc…

Although very close cultures, by certain aspects, especially linguistic, many ethnographers make a separation between the Pazioca or Diaguitas themselves, and the other populations related: the Atacamas or Alpatamas of language cunza , it even related with the language lickan-antay , inhabitants of the Puna, the Humahuacas or Omaguaca S , the Lípe S and the Tomata S - of language lickan-antay - (inhabitants of the sierras of Tarija and the north of the Jujuy), the Capayán S inhabitants of the south-east of the province of Rioja and of the north of that of San Juan, and the Olongasta S inhabitants of the south-east of the province of Rioja, of the west of province of Santiago del Estero and the extreme North-West of the province of Córdoba.

The language

The language of Diaguitas was the kakán or kakan , a currently extinct language, which one badly does not preserve toponyms and other words in the local speech of inhabitants of the zones of the north of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia. But nobody completely speaks any more the idiom.

The art of the pottery

Diaguitas made wonders in the art of ceramics. Each family manufactured her pots, her jugs and her vases. There was moreover of the specialized craftsmen who carried out true works of art, like the funeral urns, where Diaguitas buried their deaths. Some of these decorated ballot boxes, were preserved and are exposed in museums. In the currently Chilean zone, their ceramics received cultural influences of the cultures which had developed along the Peruvian littoral, and for this reason their ceramics with the practice to have anthropomorphic forms and zoomorphes (like " amphoras-canard" etc).

Company

Mow communities diaguitas were controlled by a political leader and soldier. But to inherit the load, it was not enough to be the son of the chief. The heir was to show that he answered the requirements to order. Thus on arrival of Spanish, the territory diaguita or pazioca was divided into chefferies and seigniories. The chief was polygamous, but the remainder of the population was subjected to the monogamy. There was no sacerdotal class, as it was the case among the Quechua S or the Aztèque S. But each village had a priest or Shaman which took care of the rites, the religious ceremonies and the health of the population.

With the XVIe century Diaguitas were divided into partialities - which often bore the name of their principal chalk-lining, chalk-lining which exerted the authority seigneuriale- like that of kilme ( quilmes ), of the amaichas , the abaucanes , the tucumanaos , the capayanes , the hualfines , the olongastas , the ambargastas , the pulars , the aimogastas , the guandacols , the wamatinaj (famatinas), of the tinogastas , the Calchaquí S , of the let us tolombons , of the yocavils , of the chilis etc Presque all these names are found in the toponymy of the cities and sometimes of the valleys or other places of the Argentinian North-West and Chilean north (examples Río Abaucán, province of Tucumán, Pular volcano, town of Tinogasta etc).

Religion

They adored the Sun and the Pachamama or ground mother (acquired deities of the culture of the empire INCA). They believed that Pachamama had taught to them to cultivate, to raise animals and to manufacture food. They cut Menhir S (monolithic monuments posed vertically) to pay homage to their ancestors. The menhirs of the Argentinian North-western , as of other similar constructions are itiphallic symbols (c.à.d. which has the phallus in erection ) and joined seasonal rites of the fertility. It should be noted that these monuments were already set up by a culture which had preceded them, the Culture Tafí, that of which testify the menhirs to Tafí del Valle in province of Tucumán.

Agriculture and breeding

The chief distributed the grounds and organized the construction and the maintenance of the field terraces, which they arranged on the sides of the mountains. They worked the joint ground, and one kept part of harvest in communal deposits. They cultivated the Oignon, the Quinoa, the kiwicha or quihuicha, the Poi S, the Piment S, the potato or '' dad '' ( patata ) and the Maïs, and gathered the fruits of the forest (abundant at the time), like those of the algarrobo or '' caroubier ''. They practiced also the breeding of the LAMA S and the alpacas, especially in the high and cold zones of Puna. The Potato and the Quinoa (a native plant) were sown on well arranged terraces, in the most raised cultivable zones, as it is always the case in Bolivia for example.

With the creole caroubier (or " taco"), the diaguitas or paziocas covered several basic needs. They used wood as a firewood (leña) or for the manufacture of materials and tools; bark and roots, they obtained a dyeing to dye wools and fabrics, and their fruits they made flour with which they cooked a bread called patay . They prepared also a drink called , and similar to beer.

Currently the area where Diaguitas lived is a quasi-desert. The studies of Anna María Lorandi, inter alia reveal that very arid territories currently, if they are not directly desert, that Diaguitas formerly populated, were fertile areas, glazes mainly of wood and forests of prosopis will nigra or creole caroubier, and this, to the surroundings of 1600. The turning into a desert was the terrible immediate consequence of the Spanish invasion. Those whose irrational agriculture had already désertifié a good part of their own country, were going to make in the same way in this area, but not only for and by agriculture: initially they cut down and set fire to the forests of these grounds in order to starve Paziocas and to beat them this way. Then, once gained the war against the people autochtones, the conquistadors introduced massively the caprine ones and sheep. Everyone knows the harmfulness of caprine in mountainous ground, and the practice of the Surpâture made the remainder, so that into two centuries they transformed the " orchards in déserts".

Preceding cultures

Like definite higher, the culture pazioca or diaguita itself corresponds to the archaeological culture called Culture of Santa María - since 850 approximately, until 1480 - more the period going until in 1570. However, during the previous time, one observes on this territory of other cultures which existed in the surface of distribution of Diaguitas:

Culture Tafí
Culture Cóndor Huasi
Culture El Alfarcito
Culture Ciénaga
Culture Aguada
Culture Belén
Culture Candelaria.

See too

the Indians Calchaquí S.
the Indians Atacamas or Alpatamas.
History of Argentina

Notes and Reference

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