Abstract

PAZZARELLI, Francisco  and  LEMA, Verónica S.. The Geography of the Stomach / The Stomach of Geography: Textures, Bodies, and Offerings of Muleteers in the Argentine Andes. Antipod. Rev. Antropol. Arqueol. [online]. 2024, n.54, pp.3-25.  Epub Feb 19, 2024. ISSN 1900-5407.  https://doi.org/10.7440/antipoda54.2024.01.

In this work, we delve into the intricate connections between the movement of people, especially muleteers, in the highlands of Jujuy (Argentina), and specific offerings of archaeological and ethnographic origin that shape the local landscape. These offerings, known as challas, are acullicos or chewed coca wads thrown fresh onto mountain walls, where they adhere and subsequently dry. The research focuses on Huachichocana, an indigenous community located between the valley and puna areas of the province of Jujuy, where there are several ancient natural passes historically used for human movement. Drawing on ethnographic data gathered from 2011 to 2019, we analyze the practices and contexts surrounding these offerings, exploring their sensory dimensions-textures, colors, and shapes. This study aligns with various academic precedents in the field. As our research progresses, we establish a connection between these coca offerings and pusno: processed plant matter retrieved from the carcasses of ruminant animals when they are butchered. Pusno, handled delicately and placed at specific points in space, serves as an offering to powerful locations. Inspired by Levi-Strauss’s culinary analyses, we posit that acullicos and pusno function as intermediary terms between fresh coca and decomposed guano, akin to the circulation of human and animal bodies through space. This exploration opens up novel avenues in Andean studies, prompting a reflection on the intertwined existence of body and geography, navigating transformations and intermediate stages-a contemplation on the possibility that they are fractal reflections of each other.

Keywords : Southern Andes; coca; cuisine; guano; landscape passes; offerings.

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