Commodifying the Indigenous in the Name of Development: The Hybridity of Heritage in the Twenty-First-Century Andes

Abstract

To ask how prioritizing the commodifiable aspects of heritage transforms the relationships that define it, this paper begins by tracing the historical development of mercantile perspectives on archaeological objects, sites, and landscapes in the central Andes. From colonial looting and the mining of treasure to the illustrated emphasis on testimonial value which gave rise to modern national archaeologies in the early twentieth century, contingent encounters define processes of mercantilization, including current drives to deploy archaeology to produce commodities for the tourism industry. After scrutinizing the roles of heritage legislation, local government, entrepreneurs, local communities, and archaeologists in this process, the differing intentions, mechanisms, and effects of commoditization are highlighted. The production of essentialized identities and the invisibilization of meaningful relations between people about things and places are exclusions emanating from the marriage of archaeology and development. These are showcased in the budding cultural tourism context of the Cordillera Blanca, Peru, as an attempt to chart the ethical minefield of emergent hybrid indigeneity.