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. South America A satellite composite image of South America Physical map of South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Note that the geology in this article currently reflects views from the first decade of the 20th century. ... For other meanings of Inca, see Inca (disambiguation). ...

Aymara is spoken in Bolivia, Peru,Chile and Argentina. Most are in Lake Titicaca region, and are concentrated south of the lake. There are 1.2 million Bolivian speakers, 300 thousand Peruvian speakers, 50 thousand Chilean speakers and about 10,000 Argentinan 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. Though conquered by the Inca, due to their isolation in the Altiplano and high regard for their culture and language the Aymara people never adopted the Inca language Quechua. A boat made of reeds on Lake Titicaca. ... Middle Horizon Tiwanaku (old spelling: Tiahuanaco) is an important Pre-Columbian archeological site in Bolivia. ... Huayna Capac (1493 - 1527) was an Inca emperor. ... A mason is a worker in brick or stone, now primarily involved in building walls, but previously also arches and vaults. ... Cusco is a city in southeastern Peru in the Huatanay Valley (Sacred Valley), of the Andes mountain range. ... For other meanings of Inca, see Inca (disambiguation). ...

While the Aymara language is basically the same wherever it is spoken, there are regional differences. The Aymara spoken in La Paz, Bolivia is considered the purest form of the language. The 200,000 thousand Aymara speakers from the border of Peru to Puno is the most similar to the Aymara spoken in La Paz. There are also about 90,000 Aymara speakers in the provinces of Huancane and Moho in the department of Puno in Peru. While understood by Aymaristas from other regions, the Aymara spoken in Huancane and Moho seems to contain the most differences.

The Guardian recently reported on how the Aymara seem to perceive of time as travelling in the opposite direction to most other cultures. The past is perceived as being ahead of them and the future as behind them. The word for tomorrow is a literal translation of “some day behind one’s back.” The Guardian was also the name of a U.S. television series. ...

External links

• Aymara site in English (http://www.aymara.org/index_eng.php)

[1] (http://www.peopleteams.org/aymara)