Connections and Circulation in the Southern Andes from Colony to Republic

Abstract

This chapter examines patterns of mobility and exchange over time in the Southern Andes -the area now recognized as Northeastern Argentina, Southeastern Bolivia, Northern Chile and Southern Peru- that persisted despite the traffic of colonial exchange and the mercantile flow of nation-states. These patterns were maintained by the diverse approaches advanced by indigenous and rural societies through time. Caravans, animal driving, cattle herding, and markets all enabled an autonomous exchange of products and social connections. These rural practices of resource mobilization enabled connection along age-old routes of circulation and brought together distinct ecological environments, forging a space of exchange that surpassed limitations imposed by the nation state.