ABSTRACT
There are certain fundamental patterns in the modern history of the Andes. They are visible, first, in the make-up of Andean rural society. The ecological circumstances and the complex ways in which local populations have adapted to them have made Andean agriculture unique. The specific spatial use of microclimates, and the heritage of indigenous systems of water control and labour organization show so many similarities that we can consider it one historical region. This is not to deny, of course, the great cultural and socioeconomic differences in the region (e.g. Salman and Zoomers, 2003). David Lehmann (1982, pp1–2) writes: ‘Andean rural society presents a remarkable opportunity for studying the variety of patterns of social and economic organization which can arise even in a region which, over five centuries, has been subjected to common successive forms of political and economic domination’ (see also Sempat Assadourian et al, 1980, pp14–17).
