Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The Aymara children of Bolivia

1963; Elsevier BV; Volume: 62; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0022-3476(63)80137-7

1097-6833

Ruth H. Tichauer,

Geographies of human-animal interactions

The Aymara, an Indian tribe inhabiting the uplands and constitution approximately half the Bolivian population, have tenaciously preserved their own rural culture although adapting to the Spanish and Western cultures imposed upon them. In their highland world, diet is meager, maternal and child mortality high, and life expectancy low, but family relationships are secure and there is little mental disease. Upon the movement to the city, however, the Aymara family undergoes a period of considerable financial and social insecurity, resulting in higher rates of divorce, disease, accident, and death. After about 6 to 15 years, the period of transition appears to be over, and the Aymara child becomes indistinguishable from other urban children. The Aymara, an Indian tribe inhabiting the uplands and constitution approximately half the Bolivian population, have tenaciously preserved their own rural culture although adapting to the Spanish and Western cultures imposed upon them. In their highland world, diet is meager, maternal and child mortality high, and life expectancy low, but family relationships are secure and there is little mental disease. Upon the movement to the city, however, the Aymara family undergoes a period of considerable financial and social insecurity, resulting in higher rates of divorce, disease, accident, and death. After about 6 to 15 years, the period of transition appears to be over, and the Aymara child becomes indistinguishable from other urban children.