﻿546 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  younger 
  children 
  to 
  her 
  father's 
  or 
  brother's 
  house; 
  the 
  older 
  children 
  

   remain 
  with 
  the 
  father. 
  The 
  most 
  common 
  causes 
  of 
  divorce 
  are 
  the 
  

   wife's 
  infidelity 
  and 
  sterility. 
  If 
  the 
  husband 
  dies, 
  the 
  wife 
  usually 
  

   remains 
  with 
  his 
  people, 
  especially 
  if 
  she 
  has 
  children. 
  As 
  children 
  

   are 
  an 
  economic 
  asset, 
  widows 
  with 
  children 
  remarry 
  with 
  ease. 
  

  

  Property 
  and 
  inheritance. 
  — 
  The 
  Peruvian 
  Aymara's 
  property 
  

   today 
  consists 
  primarily 
  of 
  land, 
  secondarily 
  of 
  personal 
  property; 
  

   the 
  concept 
  of 
  incorporeal 
  property 
  is 
  not 
  developed. 
  In 
  Bolivia, 
  

   land 
  is 
  regarded 
  as 
  communal 
  ayllu 
  property. 
  Here 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  

   movable 
  property 
  is 
  destroyed 
  at 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  its 
  owner 
  (La 
  Barre, 
  

   ms.). 
  

  

  Standing 
  crops 
  and 
  food 
  stores 
  are 
  held 
  jointly 
  by 
  husband 
  and 
  wife. 
  

   Each 
  person 
  owns 
  his 
  clothes 
  and 
  utensils. 
  Children 
  may 
  not 
  dispose 
  

   of 
  their 
  property 
  without 
  their 
  parents' 
  consent. 
  It 
  is 
  ordinarily 
  not 
  

   considered 
  proper 
  for 
  any 
  person 
  to 
  sell 
  a 
  gift 
  without 
  the 
  consent 
  of 
  

   the 
  giver. 
  

  

  In 
  pre-Spanish 
  times, 
  land 
  was 
  the 
  inalienable 
  communal 
  property 
  

   of 
  the 
  ayllu 
  and 
  was 
  subject 
  to 
  yearly 
  redistribution 
  among 
  the 
  heads 
  

   of 
  the 
  families 
  (Cobo, 
  1892, 
  pp. 
  248-51). 
  The 
  only 
  land 
  permanently 
  

   held 
  by 
  families 
  was 
  that 
  on 
  which 
  houses 
  were 
  located. 
  Upon 
  

   marriage 
  a 
  young 
  man 
  became 
  an 
  utani 
  (literally, 
  "with 
  house") 
  and 
  

   received 
  a 
  share 
  (sayana) 
  of 
  the 
  ayllu 
  land, 
  which 
  he 
  farmed 
  for 
  a 
  

   year, 
  retaining 
  full 
  rights 
  to 
  its 
  produce 
  for 
  himself 
  and 
  his 
  family. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  16th 
  century, 
  a 
  decree 
  of 
  Viceroy 
  Toledo 
  abolished 
  communal 
  

   ayllu 
  lands 
  and 
  divided 
  them 
  permanently 
  among 
  the 
  ayllu 
  people 
  

   (Romero, 
  1928, 
  p. 
  22). 
  The 
  Peruvian 
  Aymara, 
  possibly 
  because 
  their 
  

   area 
  was 
  more 
  heavily 
  settled 
  by 
  the 
  Spaniards, 
  accepted 
  this 
  new 
  

   arrangement. 
  The 
  land 
  was 
  passed 
  down 
  from 
  father 
  to 
  eldest 
  son. 
  

   Informants 
  say 
  that 
  in 
  former 
  times, 
  the 
  eldest 
  son 
  "had 
  more 
  than 
  

   his 
  brothers." 
  Women 
  did 
  not 
  own 
  land 
  but 
  were 
  supported 
  by 
  their 
  

   fathers 
  and 
  brothers. 
  In 
  the 
  regions 
  less 
  populated 
  by 
  the 
  Spaniards, 
  

   the 
  aboriginal 
  system 
  of 
  land 
  ownership 
  continued, 
  and 
  has 
  persisted 
  

   in 
  parts 
  of 
  Bolivia 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  day 
  (La 
  Barre, 
  ms.). 
  

  

  Under 
  Peruvian 
  Republican 
  law, 
  women 
  are 
  permitted 
  to 
  own 
  land, 
  

   and 
  all 
  children 
  today 
  inherit 
  equally, 
  regardless 
  of 
  sex. 
  New 
  Repub- 
  

   lican 
  concepts 
  that 
  permit 
  land 
  to 
  be 
  bought 
  and 
  sold 
  and 
  allow 
  women 
  

   to 
  own 
  it 
  have 
  contributed 
  to 
  the 
  break-down 
  of 
  the 
  extended 
  family 
  

   and 
  ayllu. 
  Today, 
  land 
  frequently 
  passes 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  extended 
  family. 
  

   The 
  inheritance 
  of 
  land 
  from 
  both 
  father 
  and 
  mother 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  much 
  

   confusion. 
  A 
  man 
  frequently 
  finds 
  himself 
  unable 
  to 
  work 
  the 
  several 
  

   widely 
  separated 
  fields 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  inherited 
  and 
  consequently 
  a 
  

   group 
  of 
  heirs 
  trade 
  their 
  holdings. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  we 
  may 
  at- 
  

   tribute 
  to 
  land 
  ownership 
  by 
  women 
  the 
  recent 
  tendency 
  toward 
  bi- 
  

   lateralism 
  which 
  is 
  reflected 
  both 
  in 
  behavior 
  and 
  in 
  historical 
  changes 
  

   in 
  the 
  kinship 
  system. 
  

  

  