Andean Aymara

Thanks to the generosity of Alyn Thayer and Noreen LeMieux, in mid-Oct all of the roughly 50 children of Mulyaque lined up in front of the grammar school to receive a small package from these donors. Each child was given a toothbrush, toothpaste, a bar of soap, two educational activity books, a set of pens, [...]

[Read more →]

Here’s another glimpse of local life in Muylaque: Maria Justa Flores, defeathering a chicken. I’ll try to add Aymara subtitles and translation later if I have time.

[Read more →]

Here’s a video of Maria Marlene and her son, Edwin Banegas Flores with their donkey, planting corn in their chacra in China, near Muylaque (referred to in the previous post below).

[Read more →]

A special thanks to Noreen LeMieux for her generous donation to the Andean Outreach Program. Her support will provide each of the roughly 50 Muylaque children with a small bag containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, and soap. In this place where dental hygene is basically non-existant and with the additional importance of hand-washing given potential H1N1 [...]

[Read more →]

In this second look at the book mentioned in this series, we can explore some of the cultural and traditional observations that the author makes.  One of the most interesting aspects are the author’s notes about the various festivals held in the region. 
The PALOMITA dance is part of the festival of the Crosses. It is [...]

[Read more →]

Utaparqi is just a couple kilometers downhill from Muylaque, en route to Sijuaya. It is a small conglomeration of abandoned stone houses, many of which are reduced to walls or foundations. Just outside the village, a small stonewall defines an area once used by visitors to camp and sell tools and supplies. According to [...]

[Read more →]

Já adicionei uma nova canção à página chamada de Música Muylaqueña nesta página.  É a primeira canção espanhola aqui, pois as outras estão em Aymara.  Essa música se canta durante o dia de todos os santos.
I have added a new song to the Música Muylaqueña page on this website, it is the first Spanish song posted.

[Read more →]

The link below is the audio of a traditional greeting from Muylaque used to welcome your son-in-law into your home. The speaker is David Centena Mamani. Roughly speaking the meaning, as translated by David, is: “Welcome to my house, but this is now your house. From now on you will be to me as a son, and [...]

[Read more →]

I’ve added a new page on this website which features a few Aymara songs as sung by the talented 25 year-old David Centena Mamani of Muylaque. You can check it out here.

[Read more →]

Greetings from Amsterdam! As I begin to go through all the data and photos from the last trip to Peru, I will start putting some of the highlights online. So, there’s a new page under [images] about an interesting place near Muylaque called Utaparqi. Check it out here.

[Read more →]