roads, llama caravans were the only 
outlet for surplus maize. Valley resi- 
dents require salt for themselves, their 
draft animals, and goats. According to 
the drovers, the valley people are also 
anxious to trade their yearly surplus 
because insect larvae infest stored maize 
and render it fit only to feed to chickens 
and pigs. In contrast, on the arid pla- 
teau, maize, freeze-dried potatoes, and 
quinoa can be stored for years. 
When a caravan arrives, valley people 
are generally busy with the harvest, and 
so they expect the drovers to shell their 
own maize. After the trade has been 
agreed on, a drover enters his client’s 
patio and is presented with mounds of 
dried ears to shell. He spreads the ears 
over a blanket and, with bare feet, 
treads them vigorously to snap off the 
dried kernels. If the maize is still wet, 
then the kernels must be rubbed off by 
spindling the ears between the palms of 
the hand. The friction that results 
causes sores and even bleeding. This and 
the shrinkage that occurs as the maize 
dries explain why drovers will delay 
their departure from the valley until the 
end of June rather than accept water- 
soaked maize in trade. While it might 
seem to be burdensome for drovers to 
shell their own maize, they have the 
advantage of choosing the quality of 
ears to shell. 
Those who still travel with llamas are 
mainly pastoralists who lack money for 
truck fare or market purchase. The 
beneficial exchange rate they enjoy also 
motivates them: “With llamas there is 
no transportation charge, only physical 
suffering — work. In the market, when 
you buy maize you get an exact weight. 
When we trade, it is done by estimate, 
and we always get an extra amount.” 
In remote areas frequented by llama 
caravans, traditional forms of measure- 
ment by volume are still used. At 
present, salt is traded on a volume-for- 
volume basis. If the harvest is good, the 
valley people will be especially generous 
with their surplus to compensate for the 
bad years, when they cannot reciprocate 
adequately for the cargoes of salt. When 
the maize is plentiful, the llamas return 
burdened to capacity, and sometimes 
fatigued llamas weaken and die. 
Nineteen seventy-seven, however, 
was one of the poorer years, and when 
Sergio, Gregorio, and Hilario set off on 
July 12 for the return trip to Pampa 
Aullagas, they were not enthusiastic 
about the results of their venture. Al- 
though they returned with other food- 
stuffs as well, they were particularly 
dissatisfied with the amount of corn 
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71 
