Andean Relational Cosmology and Social Dynamics

Relational Cosmology in Andean Context

• Andean Peru: communities relate to mountains as beings with intentions, desires, and agency.
• Relationships with mountain spirits are essential for mining, mountain work, and agriculture.
• Beings must be engaged with; humans interpret outcomes through these relationships.

Emotion, Language, and Interpretation

• Emotion is present in language and observable to others.
• Most people aren’t literally the embodied being (e.g., San Lorenzo), but such beings structure worldview.
• How you interpret events is mediated by relational presence to these beings.

Social Signals: Class, Wealth, and Space

• Assumptions about wealth via body cues can be misleading.
• A person can act in ways that contradict expected class signals (e.g., luxury car vs. body language).
• Wealth and status may be signaled differently across spaces (e.g., private parking) and are not solely conveyed by appearance.
• People show support for teams through actions rather than showing wealth.

Gender Representation and Change

• Not many women present in these spaces.
• Women are doing significant work to make spaces more their own.
• There have been changes since the video was created, indicating gradual progress in gender inclusion.

Takeaways for Quick Recall

• Relational cosmology: humans and beings with agency shape meaning together.
• Emotions and interpretations are anchored in relational context, not just individuals.
• Wealth signals are context-dependent; do not rely on surface appearances.
• Note gender dynamics and ongoing changes toward inclusivity in these spaces.