Pilgrimage, mountain worshiping, and human - non-human entities interaction in the South Andes: A case study from the North Calchaquí Valley (Salta, Argentina)

Abstract

Indigenous peoples of the Andes have shared their territories with a variety of animated and sacred non-human entities, with whom they have maintained complex interactions. Because these entities are providers of the vital elements that human communities need to guarantee their survival and reproduction, people must treat them with respect and affection. This entails reattributing with rituals, offerings, and attention, the goods and materials these entities supply them. Denial and neglect make these entities sad and angry, and willing to harm people in different ways. In this paper, we discuss how Diaguita-Kallchakí communities from the North Calchaquí Valley (Argentina) interacted with the sacred high-altitude territory of Nevado de Cachi during pre-Hispanic times, with the wak'as that dwelled in it, and how this interaction was completely transformed once the Inkas conquered and settled in the region around CE 1400/1450. We show that the Inkas not only reorganized pilgrimage and ritual activities in this area, but they also intentionally marked their presence in order to represent themselves as superior entities capable of dealing, without risk, with non-human forces.