Description
Book SynopsisA unique study of an Andean community’s water rituals and the extraordinary document describing how they should be performed
In the dry season in the Andes, water from springs, lakes, reservoirs, and melting glaciers feeds irrigation canals that have sustained communities for thousands of years. Managing and maintaining these water infrastructures is essential, and in 1921, in the village of San Pedro de Casta, Peru, local authorities recorded their ritual canal-cleaning duties in a Spanish-language document called the Entablo. It is only the second book (along with the Huarochirí Manuscript) ever seen by scholars in which an Andean community explains its customs and ritual laws in its own words.
Sarah Bennison offers a critical introduction to the Entablo, a Spanish transcription of the document, and an English translation. Among its other revelations, the Entablo delves into the use of khipu boards, devices that meld the traditional knotted
Table of Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Preface
- 1. Introduction: The Entablo Manuscript of San Pedro de Casta, Huarochirí
- 2. The Entablo
- 3. El Entablo
- Acknowledgments
- Glossary
- References
- Index
