Quechua people

The Quechua are an Indigenous people living in the Andes highlands of South America. They speak a common language, also known as Quechua, and live prominently in three countries—Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador—with smaller populations in Argentina and Chile. The Quechua are one of the descendants of the Inca people who ruled a powerful empire in South America until they fell victim to Spanish invaders in the sixteenth century. The Quechua language is spoken by millions of people across the Andes region and is one of the national languages of Bolivia and Peru. Several Quechua words have been adopted by the English language, and Quechua music even inspired a popular radio hit in the early 1970s.

Background

The Quechua language is believed to be an ancient language, possibly dating back almost two thousand years. During the time of the Incas, the language was the main tongue of the empire. It was known as runasimi, which loosely translates as the "people's speech." According to The Incas: New Perspectives, the term Quechua may have referred to a geographic region and was given to the Native language by the Spanish. The first evidence of the Inca people goes back to about the twelfth century when they established their capital at Cusco in modern-day Peru. By the early sixteenth century, the Incan state had grown into a powerful empire, stretching from parts of Ecuador and Colombia down south through Chile. The Incas called their homeland Tawantinsuyu, and at its height it was estimated to have been home to 12 million people.

The peak of the Incan empire coincided with the arrival of the Spanish in South America in the early sixteenth century. The Spanish were lured to the region by tales of Incan wealth, but it was not just their military might that brought an end to the empire. Even before the Spanish set foot in the Incan capital, they had unintentionally decimated the population through diseases such as smallpox. By 1533, the Spanish had conquered Cusco, and despite scattered resistance that lasted a few decades, by 1572, the last of the Incan strongholds had fallen. Over time, the Inca and other groups that once lived in the empire intermingled. The Quechua language became the lingua franca, or common language, used to communicate between Spanish speakers and Native American groups. Eventually, the name Quechua began to refer to the Indigenous people who spoke the language as well as the language itself.

Overview

Because Quechua is used to refer to both an ethnic group and a language, it is difficult to arrive at reliable population figures. According to the 2017 World Factbook, there were more than 7 million Quechua speakers in South America—4 million in Peru, 2.3 million in Bolivia, 659,000 in Ecuador, and smaller amounts in both Argentina and Chile. Other estimates placed the number between 8 and 10 million. In the 2020s, individuals who spoke Quechua and those of Quechua heritage totaled between 13 and 16 million, however, estimating this population remained difficult.

By any measure, Quechua is the largest Indigenous language spoken by any group in North or South America. In both Peru and Bolivia, Quechua has been officially declared a national language, an honor it shares with Spanish. Several Quechua words describing South American wildlife, such as llama, puma, and condor, have found their way into the English language. The word coca from the name of the popular soft drink Coca-Cola comes from the Quechua word for the coca plant, one of the product's ingredients. Quechua folk music even inspired the 1970 hit song "El Cóndor Pasa" by the legendary music duo Simon and Garfunkel.

Just as their ancestors did, most modern Quechua still practice subsistence farming for their livelihood. Since they live in the high altitude of the Andes Mountains, their primary crop is the potato, a food well suited for such an environment. The potato is of such cultural importance to the Quechua that many consider it to have healing properties, and some families still incorporate it into their marriage traditions. On an economic level, the potato is used in trade for lower-altitude crops such as corn and quinoa grains. Many Quechua also raise llama and alpaca herds to provide meat, wool, and other amenities. In addition to farming and herding, the Quechua also produce pottery, textiles, and other handicrafts for sale at local markets.

In the twenty-first century, Quechua reside in rural areas, with many living in conditions approaching extreme poverty. Most live in mud-brick buildings with tiled roofs. According to a 2014 report from the World Bank, about 60 percent of Quechua in Peru did not have adequate healthcare and had a higher infant mortality rate and shorter life expectancy than other ethnic groups in the region. The report also found that many Quechua have been discriminated against because they maintain their Native language and do not speak Spanish. This trend continued through the following decade, with most Quechua people relying on potato crops and quinoa for survival, but over-farming caused malnutrition and began negatively impacting farming practices. Particularly in Peru and Ecuador, Quechua people experience a lack of necessities and basic medical care.

As in much of Spanish-influenced South America, the religion of the Quechua is primarily Roman Catholic. While the people follow traditional Catholic holidays and feasts, they also incorporate elements from ancient beliefs that predate the Spanish. Among those are the idea that spiritual forces control the natural elements, such as the harvests, wind, and rain. Many Quechua still offer a traditional tribute to Pachamama, the goddess of Mother Earth from Incan mythology. The Quechua also celebrate the Inti Raymi festival each June to honor Inti, the Incan sun god.

The combination of Catholic and Incan influences can be seen in a traditional dance called the Danza de Tijeras, or "Scissor Dance." The performance is a competition between teams of acrobatic dancers who strike two iron rods together in rhythm with the music. The centuries-old dance is said to represent the spirits of the mountains and to commemorate the birth of Jesus. In 2010, the Scissor Dance was recognized by the United Nations on its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Bibliography

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Flores-Zúñiga, Fernando. "Quechua Danza de Tijeras (Scissor Dance)." Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, americanindian.si.edu/exhibitions/circleofdance/quechua.html. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

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