Introduction / History

The Chipaya of the Altiplano are the mystery people of Bolivia. Ronald D. Olson, SIL, Dallas, TX, identifies them as Mayan speaking ("macro-Mayan)! How Maya Indians or their ancestors reached the inter-Andean plain of the Lake Titicaca basin from the Yucatan Peninsula of Mesoamerica remains a mystery. Were they traveling salesmen? Were they trafficked as slaves? As far as the Chipaya are concerned, they are native to the altiplano since pre-Aymara times, i.e., long before the Incas. If so, did their ancestors travel from Bolivia to Yucatan. Some would link them to Tiwananku, but their architecture links them to the Mayas.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Today the Chipaya live in several towns of the Altiplano, in the lower Andes of the Chapare, and some have even migrated to Chile. They once were more numerous and their lands were more extensive, but they have lost land and population to their Aymara neighbors.

They are primarily agriculturalists, raising quinoa, potatoes, and kanhua (the end has a ~ over it), and herders raising sheep, llamas, and pigs, which are sold at market along with cheese in Oruro, the major mining city of the department of Oruro. This is supplemented by fishing and hunting. Currently, however, Lake Titicaca is shrinking due to climate change, making irrigation agriculture and relations with neighboring Aymaras more difficult.

What Are Their Beliefs?

They revere fire. The four cardinal directions are important. Burials are above ground and, like Jews of Jesus' day, once the body has decayed, the deceased's bones are reburied in a bone tomb. The Day of the Dead is important. Most are Christian, having been evangelized by the Roman Catholic Oblate Fathers, Chilean Pentecostals, and Evangelical Christian Union (SIM), a Bolivian national denomination. Thanks to Ron Olson of SIL, the New Testament is available in their language.

What Are Their Needs?

They need title to their lands. They need to adjust to climate change that is drying up Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake (12,000' elev.). They need economic diversification.

Prayer Items

Pray for reconciliation between Chipayas and Aymaras over land.
Pray for solutions to irrigation problems due to increased salinity of Lake Titicaca.
Pray for spiritual growth through the Word.

Scripture Prayers for the Chipaya in Bolivia.

References

Ronald D. Olson, "Cultural Summary: Uru-Chipaya, Human Resources Area Files, World Cultures, available on the WWW.