Aymara is the name of a South-American people and of their language. The Aymara are native to the Andes region of Bolivia and Peru. The Aymara were established in the region for centuries before becoming a subject people of the Inca, and later of the Spanish in the 16th century.

Aymara is spoken in Bolivia, Peru, and Chile. Most are in Lake Titicaca region, and are concentrated south of the lake. There are 1.2 million Bolivian speakers, 300 thousand Peruvian speakers, and 50 thousand Chilean speakers of the language. Some believe that the Aymara language descends from the language spoken in Tiwanaku. This can't be proven, but we do know that the language was spoken by the rich Aymara kingdoms. These were conquered by Huayna Capac between 1493 CE and 1525 CE. He took their stone masons to Cusco to train them in the Inca style and later help in building some of the architecture the Inca are known for.

The Guardian recently reported on how the Aymara seem to percieve of time as travelling in the opposite direction to most other cultures. The past is percieved as being ahead of them and the future as behind them. The word for tomorrow is a literal translation of “some day behinds one’s back.”

External links

• Aymara site in English