Algunas perspectivas político-ecológicas sobre la loza andina

Abstract

espanolEl nuevo campo de la ecologia politica, enfocada en la economia del siglo XXI e impulsada por la innovacion, tiene perspectivas utiles en el estudio de la economia mas temprana del «conocimiento» o «global» que surgio en el siglo XVI.Este ensayo explora la produccion de ceramica mayolica o loza en Espana y sus colonias, en particular, el virreinato del Peru, a traves del doble enfasis de la politica (la persecucion etnico-religiosa de los musulmanes, y el mercantilismo de la Espana cristiana) y de la ecologia (disponibilidad y usos de recursos). Conceptos tales como «clusteres empresariales», «guardabarreras» y «tuberias» se pueden aplicar a los factores que influyen en la historia del desarrollo de esta ceramica.En contraste con la economia actual, las actitudes hacia la innovacion fueron un tanto ambivalentes y las innovaciones fueron introducidas principalmente desde fuera de Espana (sobre todo, en Italia) en lugar de desarrollarse internamente.La loza producida en los Andes que siguio a la decoracion tradicional hispano-morisca de verde y negro, y la pintura azul llegaron tarde, quizas, como consecuencia de que los alfareros que arribaron a los Andes fueron principalmente refugiados moriscos o por la falta de acceso a los pigmentos de cobalto. EnglishThe new, hybrid scholarly field of political ecology, focused on the twenty-first century’s innovation-driven economy, has perspectives useful in studying an earlier “global” or “knowledge” economy that emerged in Spain’s sixteenth century colonial enterprise. This essay explores the production of tin-enameled pottery (majolica; loza) in Spain and its colonies, particularly the viceroyalty of Peru, through the field’s dual emphasis on the political (the ethno-religious persecution of Muslims, and the mercantilist trade policies of Christian Spain) and the ecological (resource availability and use).Political-ecological concepts such as “business clusters,” “gatekeepers,” and “pipelines” can be applied to the many factors influencing the history of development of this ware in Spain and Ibero-America. In contrast to today’s economy, attitudes toward innovation in pottery were rather ambivalent, and innovations were primarily introduced from outside Spain (especially from Italy) rather than internally developed. Early tin-enameled ware produced in the Andes follows traditional Hispano-Moresque green and black decoration, unlike in Mexico, where it was relegated to second-class status. Blue painting arrived late, but it is not known if this was because the potters who settled in the Andes were primarily morisco refugees or a consequence of lack of access to cobalt igment because of the region’s distance from Spain.