Agricola est quem domus demonstrat

Abstract

The close relationsip between the establishment of peasant modes of life and domestic architecture seems to be a promising line of research of the early South Andean history. The circum-Puna area has been considered as a relevant case in that process. In this paper I critically review that idea, considering the following items: I review the kind of relationship between peasant life and productions and subsistence strategies, and I point out that that relationship is far from being one-way and progressive; I introduce a relational theoretical perspective that is coincidental with Andean perceptions of reality, as an alternative to the traditional theory of domestication; I present archaeological information from recent research in the Atacama plateau, that is relevant for te discussion of the relationship between peasantry and the house, enphasizing the long term importance of domestic architecture in the demarcation of the social units of production. I conclude by claiming for the incorporation of alternative modes of understanding the long history of peasants in the Atacama plateau.