Game of enemies

Authors

  • Diane Hopkins

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36901/allpanchis.v14i20.1065

Keywords:

Cusco, 18th century

Abstract

This paper offers a description of a ritual battle, which occurred in 1772 in the colonial era, between the halves of a community in the southern highlands of Peru. The limitations of a criminal process, an essential characteristic of a document of this nature, demands a necessary comparison of the constitutive elements of said battle with other similar conflicts that occurred during the course of time and space. This comparative analysis allows a greater perspective in the research approach, so that the ritual battles are located in a more general way in a specific cultural and symbolic context. A series of invariant symbolic elements are drawn from an extensive ritual cycle. These elements are concentrated in the fertility of the land, domestic animals and human beings, which are linked in a reciprocal relationship. Likewise, it emphasizes factors such as the separation of social groups, exchange and limits. Finally, the Quechua word pukllay (or "game") is considered to refer to the total cycle, and is provisionally linked to the emphasis on the delineation of groups and limits.

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Published

1982-12-10

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