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 The concept of Lo Andino is a localized term of South America that refers to something that is unique to the area, especially the western part of South America. It refers to the way that Andean people live and the things that make Andean civilization what it is today. Within the culture, there are many practices, symbols, material, and non-material things which make up Lo Andino, and the concept of verticality is a prime example of one of those elements. Much of what we see in Andean culture today is derived from a common heritage and is a product of many generations of people.
 * "Lo Andino" **

 __Verticality__ Verticality in Andean culture is a concept developed by John Murra. The model of verticality is a model which describes a pattern of ecological landscapes within the Andes mountains and how each landscape is economically and socially related to each other. Within the Andes mountains, there are several high altitude environments which allow for different types of agriculture and livestock to grow and live.

The Paramo environment is the lowest environment, located about two miles up the mountains. This area is highly valuable for its grasslands, and like all the other environments in the mountains, it is cold. Valleys, plains, lakes, and large grasslands make up this ecosystem. People, animals, and plant species that live in this environment are adapted to withstand intense climatic conditions due to high altitude.

The next highest environment would be the Puna. Higher than the Paramo, the Puna grasslands are just high enough to still support some animals, as well as vegetation such as mosses, ferns, etc, and is generally more dry than the other grasslands of western South America. Animals in both these environments would include different types of camelids (alpacas, llamas, etc), and birds, as well as people cultivating potatoes, barley, and other agricultural goods.

The third environment of the model of verticality would be the Altiplano, the highest of the three environments. Here, the two ranges of the Andes divide at the south, between Bolivia and Peru, and it also contains the world's largest navigatable lake, Lake Titicaca. The cities of La Paz and El Alto are located at the edge of the Altiplano. The area here is cold and dry, like its other environmental counterparts. These three types of environments contribute to Andean people different types of elements which cannot be obtained without the concept of verticality. It's the spreading across these different landscapes which provide all the settlements within each landscape different crops and items which wouldn't be able to be obtained otherwise. Within the valleys there are settlements which work with one another to provide each with the necessities needed to live in these areas of the Andes. Murra describes this by explaining that satellite villages are created to connect each community and each village has their own labor obligation. Murra calls this concept The Vertical Archipelago model, in that like archipelagos, these satellite villages which are spread across the landscape, live near each other and depend on one another for economic and social affairs. Within these communities, we see that there are multi-ethnic settlements, sometimes which may or may not interact with one another and where relations may be differing between them.

Anthropologists today may think of Murra's concept as somewhat out-dated and that the groups living within the settlements may grow competitive as new people move and cultivate the areas of each community.

__ Qoyllur Riti __ Essential to the Andean culture and religion is the festival called Qoyllur Riti. Occuring once a year, those who participate in the festival assume different roles in a pilgrimage to honor the Andean god Taytacha, who is thought to inhabit the highest region of the mountains. Some who participate in the festival must perform certain tasks in order to recieve cargos, which are kinds of social and religious responsibilities. Qoyllur Riti is an indigenous activity that is important to the Andean regions and essential to their culture. It is how it has always been and how it always will be. This activity, unique to South America, is a significant example of "Lo Andino".

__ Domestication and Agriculture __ In the Andes, we find examples of certain foods that are indigenous to the culture of those living in these areas. Coca farming, for instance, is a purely South American occurence. It is domesticated for its effects on the mental and emotional state of the body. Farmed in the lower altitudes of the eastern Andes in Peru and Bolivia, this bushy plant is exploited as a sort of stimulant, used as a tea, or consumed in its leaf form, with the mineral lime. Consumption of coca is prominent in religious rituals as offerings, and sometimes as symbols of friendship. It can also be used as an appetite suppressant and can sometimes take the place of a midday meal. Today, coca is widely used in both the low and highlands of the Andean region. __ Andean Way Of Life  __ Lo Andino aims to describe not only the cultural and religious aspects of Andean civilization, but also the regional and environmental aspects which have an impact on how all of these indigenous activities play out.

Canuto, Marcello C. 2000. //The Archaeology of Communities.// Routledge

Gade, Daniel. 1999. //Nature and Culture in the Andes.// University of Wisconsin Press

Owen, Bruce. 1998. //[|The "Vertical Archipelago" Model of Andean Economics and Settlement].// Andean Archaeology and Ethnohistory