Weaving with the Sacred: Resignifications of the Vicuña in Vicuña-Handling Communities of the Jujuy Highlands
Human beings establish relationships with their environment according to their worldview; these are the foundations for decision-making and the management of natural goods. In Andean communities, vicuñas have played a fundamental role since pre-Hispanic times. The growth of their populations led com...
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| Formato: | Artículo revista |
| Lenguaje: | Español |
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Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires
2026
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| Acceso en línea: | https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/esnoa/article/view/17366 |
| Aporte de: |
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I28-R252-article-17366 |
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ojs |
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Universidad de Buenos Aires |
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I-28 |
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R-252 |
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Estudios sociales del NOA |
| language |
Español |
| format |
Artículo revista |
| topic |
chaku – territorial management – conservation – commons – Indigenous communities chaku – gestión territorial – conservación – bienes comunes - comunidades indígenas chaku – gestion territoriale – conservation – biens communs – communautés autochtones chaku – gestão territorial – conservação – bens comuns – comunidades indígenas |
| spellingShingle |
chaku – territorial management – conservation – commons – Indigenous communities chaku – gestión territorial – conservación – bienes comunes - comunidades indígenas chaku – gestion territoriale – conservation – biens communs – communautés autochtones chaku – gestão territorial – conservação – bens comuns – comunidades indígenas Barbarich, María Florencia Weaving with the Sacred: Resignifications of the Vicuña in Vicuña-Handling Communities of the Jujuy Highlands |
| topic_facet |
chaku – territorial management – conservation – commons – Indigenous communities chaku – gestión territorial – conservación – bienes comunes - comunidades indígenas chaku – gestion territoriale – conservation – biens communs – communautés autochtones chaku – gestão territorial – conservação – bens comuns – comunidades indígenas |
| author |
Barbarich, María Florencia |
| author_facet |
Barbarich, María Florencia |
| author_sort |
Barbarich, María Florencia |
| title |
Weaving with the Sacred: Resignifications of the Vicuña in Vicuña-Handling Communities of the Jujuy Highlands |
| title_short |
Weaving with the Sacred: Resignifications of the Vicuña in Vicuña-Handling Communities of the Jujuy Highlands |
| title_full |
Weaving with the Sacred: Resignifications of the Vicuña in Vicuña-Handling Communities of the Jujuy Highlands |
| title_fullStr |
Weaving with the Sacred: Resignifications of the Vicuña in Vicuña-Handling Communities of the Jujuy Highlands |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Weaving with the Sacred: Resignifications of the Vicuña in Vicuña-Handling Communities of the Jujuy Highlands |
| title_sort |
weaving with the sacred: resignifications of the vicuña in vicuña-handling communities of the jujuy highlands |
| description |
Human beings establish relationships with their environment according to their worldview; these are the foundations for decision-making and the management of natural goods. In Andean communities, vicuñas have played a fundamental role since pre-Hispanic times. The growth of their populations led communities in Jujuy to consider the sustainable use of their fiber. This paper reflects on how the meanings attributed to the vicuña have been shaped and transformed in those communities, at the intersection of ancestral practices, sacred relationships, public policies, and sustainable management processes. From the outset, the state regarded vicuñas as a fiscal resource with economic potential, grounding sustainability in ecological criteria. For the communities, they were a common good under the guardianship of ruling beings. The introduction of new management practices brought changes in how the animal–community relationship is interpreted, generating tensions between the technical–institutional and the religious–communitarian. Over more than ten years, the experience of the CAMVi shows the importance of including local imaginaries with their spiritual and ceremonial dimensions for the successful implementation of conservation policies.
Keywords: chaccu – territorial management – conservation – commons – Indigenous communities |
| publisher |
Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires |
| publishDate |
2026 |
| url |
https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/esnoa/article/view/17366 |
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2026-04-13T05:04:20Z |
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| spelling |
I28-R252-article-173662026-03-30T18:04:21Z Weaving with the Sacred: Resignifications of the Vicuña in Vicuña-Handling Communities of the Jujuy Highlands Tejer con lo sagrado: resignificaciones de la vicuña en comunidades manejadoras del altiplano jujeño Tisser avec le sacré : resignifications de la vigogne dans des communautés gestionnaires de l’Altiplano jujeño Tecendo com o sagrado: ressignificações da vicunha em comunidades manejadoras do Altiplano de Jujuy Barbarich, María Florencia chaku – territorial management – conservation – commons – Indigenous communities chaku – gestión territorial – conservación – bienes comunes - comunidades indígenas chaku – gestion territoriale – conservation – biens communs – communautés autochtones chaku – gestão territorial – conservação – bens comuns – comunidades indígenas Human beings establish relationships with their environment according to their worldview; these are the foundations for decision-making and the management of natural goods. In Andean communities, vicuñas have played a fundamental role since pre-Hispanic times. The growth of their populations led communities in Jujuy to consider the sustainable use of their fiber. This paper reflects on how the meanings attributed to the vicuña have been shaped and transformed in those communities, at the intersection of ancestral practices, sacred relationships, public policies, and sustainable management processes. From the outset, the state regarded vicuñas as a fiscal resource with economic potential, grounding sustainability in ecological criteria. For the communities, they were a common good under the guardianship of ruling beings. The introduction of new management practices brought changes in how the animal–community relationship is interpreted, generating tensions between the technical–institutional and the religious–communitarian. Over more than ten years, the experience of the CAMVi shows the importance of including local imaginaries with their spiritual and ceremonial dimensions for the successful implementation of conservation policies. Keywords: chaccu – territorial management – conservation – commons – Indigenous communities Los seres humanos establecen vínculos con el entorno, según su propia mirada del mundo; estas son las bases para la toma de decisiones y manejo de los bienes naturales. En las comunidades andinas, las vicuñas tienen un rol fundamental desde tiempos prehispánicos. El aumento en sus poblaciones llevó a comunidades jujeñas a considerar el aprovechamiento de su fibra. Este trabajo se propone reflexionar en cómo se configuraron y transformaron las significaciones de la vicuña en esas comunidades, en el cruce entre prácticas ancestrales, relaciones con lo sagrado, políticas públicas y procesos de manejo sustentable. Desde un principio, la concepción estatal consideró a las vicuñas como un recurso fiscal con potencial económico, basando la sustentabilidad en criterios ecológicos. Para las comunidades se trataba de un bien común tutelado por seres regentes. La incorporación de nuevas prácticas de manejo trajo consigo modificaciones en las formar de interpretar el vínculo animal-comunidad, generando tensiones entre lo técnico-institucional y lo religioso-comunitario. La experiencia de más de 10 años de las CAMVi demuestra la importancia de considerar los imaginarios locales con su dimensión espiritual-ceremonial, para el éxito en la aplicación de políticas públicas de conservación. Les êtres humains établissent des liens avec leur environnement selon leur propre vision du monde; ces liens constituent la base de la prise de décisions et de la gestion des biens naturels. Dans les communautés andines, les vigognes jouent un rôle fondamental depuis l’époque préhispanique. L’augmentation de leurs populations a amené des communautés de Jujuy à envisager l’exploitation durable de leur fibre. Ce travail propose de réfléchir à la manière dont les significations attribuées à la vigogne se sont configurées et transformées dans ces communautés, au croisement des pratiques ancestrales, des relations au sacré, des politiques publiques et des processus de gestion durable. Dès le départ, l’État a considéré la vigogne comme une ressource fiscale à potentiel économique, en fondant la durabilité sur des critères écologiques. Pour les communautés, il s’agissait d’un bien commun placé sous la tutelle d’êtres régents. L’introduction de nouvelles pratiques de gestion a modifié les manières d’interpréter la relation animal-communauté, générant des tensions entre le technique-institutionnel et le religieux-communautaire. L’expérience de plus de dix ans des CAMVi montre l’importance de prendre en compte les imaginaires locaux dans leur dimension spirituelle et cérémonielle pour réussir la mise en œuvre des politiques publiques de conservation Os seres humanos estabelecem vínculos com o entorno segundo sua própria visão de mundo; essas são as bases para a tomada de decisões e o manejo dos bens naturais. Nas comunidades andinas, as vicunhas têm um papel fundamental desde os tempos pré-hispânicos. O aumento de suas populações levou comunidades de Jujuy a considerar o aproveitamento de sua fibra. Este trabalho propõe refletir sobre como se configuraram e transformaram as significações da vicunha nessas comunidades, no cruzamento entre práticas ancestrais, relações com o sagrado, políticas públicas e processos de manejo sustentável. Desde o início, a concepção estatal considerou as vicunhas como um recurso fiscal com potencial econômico, baseando a sustentabilidade em critérios ecológicos. Para as comunidades, tratava-se de um bem comum tutelado por seres regentes. A incorporação de novas práticas de manejo trouxe consigo modificações nas formas de interpretar o vínculo entre animal e comunidade, gerando tensões entre o técnico-institucional e o religioso-comunitário. A experiência de mais de 10 anos das CAMVi demonstra a importância de considerar os imaginários locais com sua dimensão espiritual-cerimonial, para o êxito na aplicação de políticas públicas de conservação. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires 2026-03-30 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/esnoa/article/view/17366 10.34096/esnoa.n28.17366 Estudios Sociales del NOA; Núm. 28 (2025) 2362-2482 0329-8256 spa https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/esnoa/article/view/17366/15982 Derechos de autor 2026 María Florencia Barbarich |