Environment and Location
The Aymara are dispersed over a vast area that contains a number of ecological and political sectors: the shores of Lake Titicaca, the Bolivian altiplano, the far north of Chile and northwestern Argentina. In Chile, the group is to be found living in the northernmost regions of Arica and Parinacota, Tarapacá and Antofagasta, and in three distinct environments: the altiplano and puna, at altitudes greater than 3800m asl (12,500 feet); the slopes and upland valleys of the Andean foothills; and the region’s lowland valleys and cities. Population centers include the region’s mining towns, its coastal zone, and more distant large cities.
