Language, Identity, and Communication: an Exploration of Cultural and Linguistic Hybridity in Post-Colonial Peru

Summary

In the viceroyalty of Peru under Francisco Toledo, cultural and political organization represented a fusion of European and Andean ethos, ideology, and language. Using archaeological data and historical analysis, this paper explores the intermixture of the European colonial political structure and traditions with the Inkan quadripartite social organization and dualistic beliefs. The paper discusses the combination of two record-keeping methods during the Toledan order: the Inkan khipus, a record-keeping system based on knots placed on strings of yarn, and the European double-entry bookkeeping system. The process of combining the two cultures and systems of communication meant melding the Inkan notion of reciprocity with Spanish colonial pragmatism. The paper explores how the exchange of knowledge, culture, and language amalgamated the opposing ideas and worldviews into a unified Pan-Andean post-colonial cultural realm and identity. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Echoes: Indigenous Communities in the Americas   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2013

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

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PaperId(s): 704