How to survive when life doesn’t give us much? How to succeed in modest conditions? The Andean civilization has successfully applied one of the solutions for several thousand years. Its name is reciprocity, or in Quechuan, ayni.
Of all the places in the world considered the cradle of humanity, only the Andean civilization emerged in the desert, between the icy ocean and giant mountain ranges. It is believed that only three percent of the land in the Andes is suitable for cultivation. The high altitudes pose another immense challenge – some of the highest human settlements in the world are located here, reaching over 4000 meters in height. Exposure to the Pacific Ocean also brings numerous challenges. Periodic climate anomalies, known as El Niño and La Niña, which bring devastating floods and droughts, have been fatal for countless Andean cultures. Finally, this is also a highly seismic part of the world, where strong earthquakes are common and avalanches are not rare.
Considering all this, it is actually astonishing that any complex culture could have emerged and developed here, let alone one as lavish and diverse as the Andean civilization. It is natural to wonder – how could this have happened? There is no simple or definitive answer. There are theories that the icy ocean rich in fish allowed for surpluses and leisure, which sparked the light of civilization in this part of the world.
What is certain is that reciprocity, or ayni, was at the core of the process of its formation. Hardships and natural challenges perhaps more than anywhere else solidified the belief that we must rely on each other. This established reciprocity as one of the fundamental principles of life and functioning of this civilization, especially in its mountain branches.
Cosmic Origin
Reciprocity has permeated and colored every aspect of Andean life, their entire worldview. From understanding how the world functions, to everyday human needs and activities – everything is in a process of inseparable collaboration and complementarity. The Andean idea of the origin of the world is a story of collaboration between the heavens and the underworld to make life on the surface of the earth possible. Each of these three worlds (known as pacha in Quechua) exists independently of each other but collaborates closely. In the heavens, there are the Sun, the Moon, and the deities that provide energy to the world of the living. At the same time, unlike the Christian worldview, the underworld is not a place of terror. On the contrary, it is the center of fertility and the domain of Pachamama – the Earth Goddess, the Mother of the World.
Livelihood
Andean peoples applied ayni to human relationships as well. Within communities, they practiced a custom called mink’a. It was a communal form of assistance that encompassed almost all activities in community life – sowing, harvesting, maintenance of water supply and irrigation, as well as various forms of social protection such as caring for the elderly and disabled, and the education of children. This comprehensive and meaningful form of local self-organization is remarkable by all modern standards.
Unlike the coastal strip, the mountainous part of this culture neither traded nor had money. They lived in a kind of planned economy in which the elite redistributed goods. Throughout the empire, there were qollqa (Quechuan for “storehouses”), state warehouses where food, clothing, footwear, tools, and weapons were stored, which could always supply the army, workers, or the population in difficult times. In exchange for this care, the people paid a tax in the form of useful labor for the Empire, known as mita. Through mita, roads, bridges, cities, temples, palaces were built, and people also went to war for the needs of the emperor.
The economy was supported in other ways as well. Since the climate changed with the change in altitude, mountain communities established colonies at lower levels. In this way, in collaboration between the upper and lower parts of the community, they were able to supply themselves with everything they needed. This type of livelihood and complementarity is also known as the vertical archipelago.
Empire Structure
Reciprocity is a key principle in the political organization of mountain states. Taking the Inca Empire as an example, whose official name was Tiwantinsuyu (Quechuan for “Fourfold Empire” or “Four Regions”), we can say that it was an absolutist dual theocracy. At its head was the Sapa Inka, the supreme ruler and descendant of the god Inti. All the land and everything on it belonged solely to him. He granted land and its resources to his subjects, and in return, they were loyal to him and fulfilled their regular obligations to the empire. Although from today’s perspective, this may seem harsh, at that time it was considered a divine order based on the interdependence of the ruler and his subjects. Indeed, ayni was the core element that ideologically allowed the burden of absolute rule to be endured with a sense of dignity and acceptance.
In addition to the relationship of reciprocity between rulers and subjects, this principle was also important for maintaining good relations among the elite themselves. The principle of reciprocity gave rise to the concept of duality, known as yanantin. For something to be considered a valid whole, it had to consist of two parts. This applied to both power and governance. The empire was divided into two parts (upper – hanan and lower – hurin), and these two parts were further divided into lower and upper sections. Thus, the empire acquired its name – the Fourfold Realm. There was also an upper and lower supreme ruler, usually brothers or representatives of the two most powerful dynasties. This attempted to prevent fratricide and dynastic wars. However, one ruler needed the other because only such a rule was considered legitimate and correct.
A Man and Reciprocity
An ordinary person in Andean society did not have much. The simplicity and austerity of Andean homes, where furniture was almost absent, are well known. However, the Andean people could sleep peacefully knowing that even if their harvest was not good, there was a system that would come to their aid – the community, sister villages at lower elevations, and nearby state storehouses. This was a safety net that European peasants could only dream of until modern times. In addition to security, reciprocity provided individuals with a sense of dignity and belonging within the broader society.
Last but not least, it was believed that every person had both masculine and feminine aspects within themselves. Both aspects had to be functional and harmonized for an individual to lead a healthy and good life. They were not equal (again, yanantin does not imply equality), but both had to be recognized, and individuals had to be in contact with them.
Understanding
Ayni synergized all the material and spiritual resources of the Andean peoples and created one of the most impressive and original civilizations in one of the most challenging parts of the world. Recognizing solidarity and reciprocity as key principles of survival and development was crucial in shaping the entire Andean worldview.
However, we must not deceive ourselves into thinking that all institutions of this society were perfect. Redistribution of resources in the empire was carried out by the elite, who kept the majority for themselves. Working for the state, despite its general benefits, was ultimately work for the personal needs of the emperor and the nobility. The concepts of duality often masked and made more bearable the underlying relationships of inequality and exploitation.
Considering all the negative aspects of applying this principle, we must still acknowledge its immense power and success, as well as the era when such exploitative practices were accepted worldwide. Ayni enabled the most efficient economic activity, the rational use of all resources, and the generation of surpluses in very challenging conditions. Additionally, reciprocity was the foundation for the most advanced local self-organization and social protection of that time. Ayni created responsible, resilient, and sustainable communities that allowed dignity for each member and nurtured and preserved the common good.
