The Quechuas were descendants of the Inca Empire who arrived in Chile between 1443 and 1470 during the reign of Tupac Yupanqui. They primarily live in the foothills and high plateaus. They share the main sociocultural and ethnic characteristics with the Aymara. Today, Quechua speakers can be found in Bolivia, Perú, Argentina, and Chile.
Since the territory inhabited by the Quechua people was annexed by Chile in 1879, as a consequence of the Pacific War, they passed from a Neo Colonial domination system, which demanded paying taxes for their lands, to a capitalist economy centered on mining.
In 1973, the military government promoted the “Chilenization” process, implementing Rural Border Concentration Schools, which intensified the values, history, and national symbols to the detriment and systematic abandonment of the Quechua language, denial of local identity, and a significant social, economic, and cultural marginalization.
Their major economic activity is commerce, they also work in mining, in the quarry, and at a minor scale agriculture, hunting, and forestry. Most get a salary and have an employer.
They celebrate the Inti Raymi Quechua or New Year's ceremony, which represents the return of the sun to be with them in their walk of life, providing the elements they need to benefit agriculture and have a prosperous year. They call the sun, “our Father” and in their ritual raise their hands and open their arms to receive his light.
The Quechua people are currently threatened by the pressures of a fast-moving society. The are assimilating and losing their way of life.
Discrimination against people who speak Quechua or other languages persists, as it did in colonial times.
Education, health, and justice services continue to display their institutionalized indifference toward indigenous people.
Pray that the Lord's grace and mercy will allow the Quechuas of Chile to hear about the love of Jesus Christ.
Pray that government abuses will not create a barrier between the Quechuas when the gospel is preached to them.
Pray for a ministry to be established that will bring the true God to the Quechua people living in Chile.
Scripture Prayers for the Quechua, South Bolivian in Chile.
www.serindigena.org/index.php/es/norte/quechua#:~:text=El%20pueblo%20Quechua%20desciende%20del%20antiguo%20Imperio%20Inca,lo%20explotaron%20hasta%20los%20ríos%20Itata%20y%20Bío-Bío.
https://www.lifeder.com/pueblos-originarios-chile/
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| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
