Faces of Culture

The Aymara: A Case Study in Social Stratification

Through footage made in northern Bolivia, where the heterogeneous population is socially and economically stratified, this program provides a close look at the inequities of a sharp class division between the Spanish-speaking mestizos and the subordinate Aymara Indians. The class system depicted, typical of much of Latin America, is apparent not only in the fields, but in religious practices, the celebratory fiestas, and even in the classroom. The economic subordination of the peasantry is battled by the mestizo teacher who, in one scene, seeks medical help for a child of an impoverished family. Although a revolution in 1952 brought some changes in Bolivia, this program show that the Aymara are still bound by many of the economic and social patterns that existed before the revolution.