20245601(en)/9 - The Revisita to the Yapa Repartimiento in 1617: First Evidence of the Continued Use of a Language Specific to the Chachapoyas Area in the 17th Century
THE REVISITA TO THE YAPA REPARTIMIENTO IN 1617: FIRST EVIDENCE OF THE CONTINUED USE OF A LANGUAGE SPECIFIC TO THE CHACHAPOYAS AREA IN THE 17TH CENTURY
LA REVISITA AL REPARTIMIENTO DE YAPA EN 1617: LA PRIMERA EVIDENCIA DE LA VIGENCIA DE UN IDIOMA PROPIO DEL ÁREA CHACHAPOYAS EN EL SIGLO XVII
Michaela Ziemendorff, José H. Rodríguez Villa, Stefan Ziemendorff y Jairo Valqui Culqui
This article presents the first documented reference to a previously unknown language from the Chachapoyas area (northeastern Peruvian Andes). This evidence was uncovered from records of two revisits to the Yapa repartimiento (forced labor system), in the north of this area, conducted in 1617 and 1644. Our analysis determines the linguistic affiliation of the population based on the toponymic, anthroponymic, and historical data available on the repartimiento and its surroundings. We conclude that it is in fact the first mention of the language called “chacha” or “chachapuya” in the scientific discussion, whose existence to date had only been proven on the basis of toponymic and anthroponymic vestiges in the Chachapoyas area. This discovery updates the historical and linguistic discussion about the importance of the local language in the early colonial period and its possible implications for the history of Amazonian Quechua. We also discuss the prevalence and role of Quechua elements in historical surnames, as well as their function and transmission, identifying possible gender markers and patterns of surname transmission across generations.
