Arqueología de la ruptura colonial: mouros, chullpas, gentiles y abuelos en España, Bolivia y Chile en perspectiva comparada

Abstract

This paper analyzes the impact of colonialism on the ways in which subaltern populationsestablish relations of sameness and otherness with their ancestors and with archaeologicalvestiges in their surroundings. From a perspective that questions the dominant dichotomousand structural interpretation that conceived the logic of otherness as a product of intrinsiccommunity dynamics, this study reveals the central role of historically specific powerrelations in the articulation of identity configurations. This is revealed in the comparativeanalysis of the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula, the Bolivian highlands, and theChilean Atacama region. The populations of the three regions present animistic beliefs inmouros, chullpas, gentiles and abuelos, which they associate with archaeological remains undera common logic. Starting with the Christian struggle against paganism in Europe and theextirpation of idolatry in America, this article demonstrates how enlightened modernity,nationalism and contemporary multiculturalism have led to different configurations ofpatterns of identity and alterity, as well as alternative notions of ancestry in each case.Archaeology has played a prominent role in these processes, subordinating local conceptionsof otherness and partaking in their heritagisation.