Aymara+Culture

Aymara Culture

The native language of the Aymara people is Aymara but many Aymara people speak Spanish as a second language. The Aymara language has one surviving relative, spoken by a small isolated group of about 1000 people far to the north in the Andes Mountains. In the 1920’s the Aymara and Quechua women began wearing bowler hats when, according to legend, a shipment of bowler hats was sent from Europe to Bolivia via Peru for use by the British working on railroad construction. The hats were given to the indigenous people when they were found to be too small for the British railroad workers. The bowler hats have been making a huge comeback in recent years, the locals embrace them as part of their traditional culture. Just as the hats didn’t fit the men in the 1920’s the hats don’t fit the women today either. They position of the hat on the women's heads is said to signify their marital status. The elegant Aymara cholita, which is an icon of Bolivia (bowler hat, aguayo, heavy pollera, skirts, boots, jewelry), began and evolved in La Paz. Cholita was once used as a derogatory term for indigenous girls but over the years has developed into a more positive term. Despite the influences of western fashion trends the Cholitas have maintained their traditional dressing. It’s urban tradition of dress and this style of dress has become part of ethnic identification. The Aymara have grown and chewed coca plants for centuries, using it’s leaves in traditional medicines and ritual offerings to the father God (Sun) and the mother Goddess Pachamama (Earth). The ritual use of coca has a large role in the indigenous religions of the Aymara and Quechua people. Since the late 20th century its ritual use has become a symbol of cultural identity.