﻿Vol.2] 
  THE 
  AYMARA 
  — 
  TSCHOPIK 
  513 
  

  

  The 
  complete 
  range 
  of 
  cultivated 
  food 
  plants 
  and 
  their 
  varieties 
  is 
  

   not 
  known. 
  La 
  Barre 
  obtained 
  a 
  staggering 
  list 
  of 
  209 
  descriptive 
  

   names 
  for 
  potatoes 
  in 
  Bolivia. 
  All 
  potatoes 
  grown 
  on 
  the 
  altiplano 
  

   are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  varieties 
  of 
  Solanum 
  tuberosum 
  (La 
  Barre, 
  ms.). 
  In 
  the 
  

   District 
  of 
  Chucuito 
  alone 
  some 
  40 
  varieties 
  of 
  white 
  potato 
  (q'eni 
  or 
  

   saya 
  £'oqe) 
  are 
  recognized, 
  some 
  10 
  types 
  of 
  "bitter" 
  potato 
  (luk'i 
  

   £'oqe), 
  10 
  varieties 
  of 
  ocas 
  {Oxalis 
  tuberosa), 
  5 
  of 
  uluku 
  (Ullucus 
  

   tuberosus), 
  6 
  of 
  iSAftu 
  {Tropaeolum 
  tuberosum), 
  6 
  of 
  quinoa 
  (Cheno- 
  

   podium 
  quinoa), 
  2 
  of 
  ka^awa 
  (Chenopodium 
  sp.), 
  6 
  of 
  maize 
  (Zea 
  

   mays), 
  3 
  of 
  habas 
  or 
  "broadbeans" 
  (Viciafaba), 
  6 
  of 
  barley, 
  and 
  2 
  of 
  

   wheat; 
  the 
  latter 
  three 
  crops 
  are 
  of 
  European 
  origin. 
  In 
  addition, 
  

   some 
  communities 
  raise 
  onions, 
  garlic, 
  and 
  other 
  garden 
  crops 
  of 
  

   European 
  origin. 
  Although 
  the 
  staple 
  crop 
  varies 
  locally, 
  the 
  three 
  

   most 
  important 
  Aymara 
  food 
  plants 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  are 
  potatoes, 
  

   quinoa, 
  and 
  barley. 
  Maize 
  is 
  cultivated 
  in 
  quantity 
  on 
  the 
  altiplano 
  

   only 
  in 
  favored 
  localities 
  such 
  as 
  Conima 
  and 
  Copacabana, 
  but 
  is 
  

   never 
  the 
  staple 
  crop. 
  On 
  the 
  high 
  pampa 
  away 
  from 
  Lake 
  Titicaca, 
  

   KAfrAWA 
  and 
  "bitter" 
  potatoes 
  form 
  the 
  principal 
  crops. 
  Above 
  

   15,000 
  feet 
  (about 
  4,600 
  m.) 
  altitude, 
  little 
  if 
  any 
  farming 
  is 
  done. 
  

  

  Planting 
  and 
  harvesting 
  dates 
  are 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  local 
  environment 
  

   and 
  vary 
  regionally, 
  depending 
  upon 
  when 
  the 
  rainy 
  season 
  begins. 
  

   The 
  Aymara 
  on 
  the 
  Peruvian 
  shore 
  of 
  Lake 
  Titicaca 
  usually 
  plant 
  

   early 
  potatoes 
  and 
  maize 
  in 
  late 
  August 
  and 
  harvest 
  them 
  late 
  in 
  Feb- 
  

   ruary. 
  Late 
  potatoes 
  planted 
  in 
  November 
  mature 
  in 
  April. 
  Ocas 
  

   and 
  quinoa 
  are 
  planted 
  in 
  September 
  or 
  October 
  and 
  harvested 
  in 
  

   April. 
  Barley 
  sown 
  in 
  October 
  or 
  November 
  is 
  ripe 
  in 
  late 
  April 
  or 
  

   May. 
  According 
  to 
  Bandelier, 
  the 
  Aymara 
  on 
  the 
  Bolivian 
  shore 
  of 
  

   Lake 
  Titicaca 
  plant 
  and 
  harvest 
  potatoes, 
  ocas, 
  and 
  quinoa 
  a 
  month 
  

   earlier 
  than 
  the 
  above 
  dates, 
  and 
  seem 
  to 
  plant 
  and 
  harvest 
  barley 
  

   and 
  maize 
  from 
  1 
  month 
  to 
  2 
  months 
  later 
  than 
  the 
  Peruvian 
  Aymara 
  

   (Bandelier, 
  1910). 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  four 
  types 
  of 
  arable 
  land. 
  "Valley-bottom 
  fields," 
  lo- 
  

   cated 
  in 
  little 
  valleys 
  which 
  descend 
  from 
  the 
  hills 
  to 
  the 
  shore 
  of 
  Lake 
  

   Titicaca, 
  are 
  considered 
  the 
  best. 
  They 
  have 
  the 
  deepest 
  topsoil 
  and 
  

   usually 
  may 
  be 
  irrigated. 
  The 
  second 
  best, 
  the 
  "lake-edge 
  fields," 
  do 
  

   not 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  irrigated, 
  but 
  occasionally 
  are 
  flooded 
  or 
  damaged 
  by 
  

   mineral 
  salts 
  in 
  the 
  lake 
  water. 
  The 
  third 
  best, 
  the 
  "hillside 
  fields," 
  

   sometimes 
  may 
  be 
  irrigated, 
  but 
  the 
  topsoil 
  is 
  thin 
  and 
  stony. 
  The 
  

   poorest 
  fields 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  flat 
  pampas 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  lake 
  shore, 
  where 
  

   the 
  soil 
  is 
  bad 
  and 
  irrigation 
  is 
  not 
  practiced. 
  Soils 
  are 
  classed 
  and 
  

   graded 
  into 
  three 
  types 
  according 
  to 
  their 
  physical 
  properties 
  and 
  

   ability 
  to 
  hold 
  water. 
  The 
  best 
  is 
  a 
  rich, 
  ashy 
  loam, 
  often 
  an 
  archeo- 
  

   logical 
  refuse 
  deposit, 
  called 
  "big 
  earth" 
  or 
  "earth 
  with 
  ashes." 
  The 
  

   next 
  best 
  is 
  called 
  "sandy 
  earth," 
  while 
  the 
  worst, 
  "red 
  earth," 
  is 
  a 
  

   hard, 
  stony 
  clay. 
  

  

  