Amaicha del Valle

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Amaicha del Valle
Tucuman Amaicha Iglesia Ampimpa.JPG
Basic data
location 26 ° 36 ′  S , 65 ° 55 ′  W Coordinates: 26 ° 36 ′  S , 65 ° 55 ′  W
Height above d. M .: 1800  m
Population (2001): 1139
Agglomeration : Amaicha del Valle - Los Zazos
  - Population: 5,000
  (Argentina)
 
 
administration
Province : TucumanTucuman Tucuman
Department : Tafí del Valle
Mayor: Raúl Lezcano
Others
Postal code : 4137
Telephone code: 03892

Amaicha del Valle is a small Argentine town in the west of the Tucumán province in the Tafí del Valle department . It is located on the eastern slope of the Valle Calchaquí 20 kilometers north of Santa María del Yokavil and is best known for its Pachamama festival in March, one of the largest folkloric events in Argentina.

A special feature is that the city is ruled by an Indian council in addition to the regular mayor.

population

The center of Amaicha has 1,139 inhabitants. However, if you include the very densely populated area with the settlements of Amauta and Dique Los Zazos on the reservoir of the same name, the population increases to around 5,000. A large part of the inhabitants are Indians of the Diaguita - Calchaquíes -Ethnie and mestizos.

politics

Amaicha is the most important of the so-called Comunidades Indígenas of Argentina. These are localities that are governed according to the principles of the native Indian population. The Comunidad Indígena consists of a commission of delegates ( delegados comunales ) who exercise the legislative and executive functions. The judiciary , however, depends on the province of Tucumán because of the small size of the place.

history

Museo de la Pachamama

The Comunidad Indígena de Amaicha has existed since 1713. In the 17th century, the Calchaquí Indians were defeated by the Spaniards in their last bastion, Quilmes . Around 90% of the survivors were deported to what is now the city of Quilmes near Buenos Aires , where they were obliged to do forced labor. One group, however, was brought near Lules (near San Miguel de Tucumán ) to work on an estate there. This group succeeded in negotiations with the Spaniards to get their land around the Quilmes fortress back.

In the period that followed, there were repeated conflicts with Spanish landowners who had already appropriated land before the land was handed over, especially near Quilmes. Only in the last two decades of the 20th century was this land expropriated piece by piece and the Comunidad Indígena Quilmes was founded on the territory, which still exists alongside the community of Amaicha to this day.

Between 2001 and 2003 there was a conflict between Mayor Miguel Pastrana and a large part of the Comunidad Indígena, who accused him of pursuing political goals instead of Indian affairs, of cooperating with the Partido Justicialista and, in particular, of distorting the Pachamama festival into a commercial tourist spectacle to have. This led to the fact that a council of elders was founded parallel to the “official” Indian community, which elected an alternative mayor. Pastrana was unimpressed by his supporters and the insurgents were arrested by the police; they were forced to withdraw their claims.

Pastrana's successor, Roberto Prado, managed to bring the conflicting parties closer together again from 2004 onwards. Since then, the Pachamama Festival has again placed more emphasis on tradition despite the high number of visitors.

particularities

The main peculiarity of Amaicha del Valle is the structure of the property. Almost the entire land of the municipality (comuna) belongs to the Comunidad Indígena and is generally not sold - neither to private individuals nor to companies - but only leased, so rights to stay are granted, which cause certain costs depending on the duration. Lifetime residence rights are only granted to Argentinians or foreigners permanently residing in Argentina to prevent land speculation by foreign landowners. This is important as Amaicha has developed into a center of tourism in the region since the 1990s and especially after the Argentina crisis (2001/02), the main attraction of which is the Pachamama festival at the end of February. The region also has great potential for viticulture and, because of its raw material deposits, is also of interest to mining companies.

Culture and sights

Museo de la Pachamama

The Pachamama festival in March is the largest festival of this deity in Argentina. It is celebrated in two different ways: on the one hand there are concerts by folklore groups in a festival area , on the other hand there are numerous more traditional events such as processions and festival dances as well as the Pachamama ball in Los Zazos , which is almost only popular with locals , at which the Throwing flour and eggs at those present according to north-west Argentinian tradition.

The Museo de la Pachamama is one of the largest museums of Native American culture in Argentina. In addition to traditional works of art and tools, the way of life of the pre-Columbian peoples and the geological conditions in the region are exhibited. The building is designed in a new version of the traditional Indian stone architecture.

There are some colonial-style houses in the center of Amaicha, but no larger buildings. The most famous archaeological site in Argentina, the Quilmes fortifications, is also close to Amaicha .

economy

Amaicha del Valle lives mainly from viticulture and tourism , which mainly focuses on the summer months and on the festival of the Pachamama at the end of the season. There are also numerous small farms.

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