The higher elevations of the western slope of the Andes of
southern Peru support vast tracts of puna and the lower levels are
characterized by a gigantic plateau. Rivers cross the plateau in
deep gorges, which inhibits the formation of extensive alluvial plains
downstream. This, in turn, is a major factor that accounts for the
lack of strong societies with large populations along the littoral of
southern Peru. At the same time, the absence of a strong coastal
society enabled the highlanders to manage effectively an archipelagic
vertical control as modeled by Murra [1972].
Today, the dominant type of vertical control on the western
slope is the specialized one [ONUKI 1978]. Each of the three welldefined
ecological zones is occupied by people specialized in its
exploitation. Most probably there existed formerly a close,
interdependent relationship among the three ecological zones, which
were linked through trading and barter networks.
Wool industries appeared in the puna in the latter half of the
19th century, and the advance of truck transportation in the middle
of the 20th century accelerated the alienation of the puna herders
from the traditionally interdependent, inter-zonal networks. In
the kichwa zone, on the other hand, the milk industry established in
1950s led kichwa farmers, especially to the south of Arequipa, to
convert from subsistence pursuits to commercial milk and pastoral
production. Economic changes both in the puna and kichwa
facilitated the breakdown of the traditionally interdependent
network and the inhabitants of both zones became market-oriented.
The yunga zone had already dropped-out, probably in the colonial
period, from the system of interdependence. Now the system of
vertical control is found only in extremely remote places, such as the
headwaters of the western slope.
But no ecological zone can be self-sufficient, and subsistence
requirements must be satisfied through a system of exchange. This
can no longer be called vertical control since Andean vertical
control is a system of exploitation of multiple ecological zones in
which exchange is carried out according to the conventional rate,
which differs from that of the market. - This conventional rate is
based on reciprocity which generally underpins all kinds of social,
economic, and ritual behavior in the Andes. The true nature of
Andean vertical control, therefore, should be sought in the local
concept of reciprocity.
南部ペルーのアンデス西斜面における環境利用
KH_005_1_002.pdf
(10.07MB)
