20235602(en)/7 - A Crossing of Roads. Ethno-Historical Descriptions on the Presence of Bolivian Aymara Women in the Azapa Valley (Arica, Chile)
A CROSSING OF ROADS. ETHNO-HISTORICAL DESCRIPTIONS ON THE PRESENCE OF BOLIVIAN AYMARA WOMEN IN THE AZAPA VALLEY (ARICA, CHILE)
UN CRUCE DE CAMINOS. DESCRIPCIONES ETNOHISTÓRICAS SOBRE LA PRESENCIA DE MUJERES AYMARAS BOLIVIANAS EN EL VALLE DE AZAPA (ARICA, CHILE)
Menara Guizardi y Claudio Casparrino
The article presents an ethnohistorical description contextualizing the current experience of Bolivian Aymara migrants in the Azapa Valley (Arica, Chile). It contrasts ethnographic field diaries and images with the information on these spaces detailed in the previous anthropological and historical literature. We will start by explaining the methodology and locating the context, with data on the historic conformation of this border territory. We will then relate these aspects to the increase in Bolivian migration over the last three decades, before narrating the recent history of the area, showing how its lands have gradually become one of the most important agricultural enclaves in northern Chile. We will finish by describing the experiences of Bolivian migrants who have transformed this landscape through their work.
