From the longing to cease being ‘Indian’ to the desire to become one again: Territory, identity, and Performance in a Commune Festivity in Quito

In the Tola Chica commune, near Quito, the San Pedro Inti Raymi festival has emerged in recent decades as a mechanism of ethnic reaffirmation. This strengthening contrasts with a past in which colonial institutions —the church, school, and feudal relationships— delegitimized indigenous-peasant expre...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor: Hermida Salas, Pablo
Tipo de documento: artigo
Estado:Versão publicada
Data de publicação:2026
País:Ecuador
Recursos:Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales
Repositório:Revista Mundos Plurales
Idioma:espanhol
OAI Identifier:oai:revistas.flacsoandes.edu.ec:article/6576
Acesso em linha:https://revistas.flacsoandes.edu.ec/mundosplurales/article/view/6576
Access Level:Acceso aberto
Palavra-chave:whiteness
ethnic identity
mishu tukushka
politicization of ethnicity
San Pedro Inti Raymi
blanqueamiento
identidad étnica
politización de lo étnico
Descrição
Resumo:In the Tola Chica commune, near Quito, the San Pedro Inti Raymi festival has emerged in recent decades as a mechanism of ethnic reaffirmation. This strengthening contrasts with a past in which colonial institutions —the church, school, and feudal relationships— delegitimized indigenous-peasant expressions, generating significant tensions, which internally were embodied in the figure of the mishu tukushka or “the one who has become mestizo.” In response to communal fragmentation, Tola Chica articulated its resistance through affiliation with CONAIE, a process that fostered the politicization of ethnic identity and the instrumentalization of the festival. In this way, the festive bodily expressions, understood through the lens of performance, reveal a dual ritual dimension of the festival that destabilizes the notion of a fixed identity, highlighting its processual nature and its interaction with popular culture.