Los cementerios y la cultura asociada han acompañado al desarrollo social con diferentes tipos de atracción. Se reconoce a los cementerios y sitios similares como parte importante del paisaje cultural y del patrimonio de los pueblos, aportando identidad y sentido de pertenencia. Se describen y analizan tres estudios de casos de sitios patrimoniales asociados con la muerte en Bolivia y su diversidad tipológica. Uno de la cultura Aymara–Quechua, otro vinculado al alma animal en un yacimiento paleontológico y otro asociado al alma humana. Estos estudios conducen a repensar concepciones previas de la temática y a ampliar los horizontes de lo que implica el término cementerio y su rol funcional como parte del paisaje cultural y como recurso turístico especializado. La falta de investigación como insumo de la educación es planteada como uno de los principales factores de deterioro del sentido de identidad y pertenencia y del deterioro y pérdida del patrimonio involucrado.
Palabras clave: Chullpares – cementerio de tortugas – Almitas – paisaje cultural
The Aymara-Quechua cemeteries, of turtles and human souls: Three expressions of Bolivian culture
Cemeteries and the associated culture have accompanied social development with different types of attraction. Cemeteries and similar sites are recognized as an important part of the cultural landscape and heritage of people, providing identity and a sense of belonging to them. Three case studies of heritage sites associated with death in Bolivia and their typological diversity are described and analyzed. One from the Aymara-Quechua culture, another linked to the animal soul in a paleontological site and another associated with the human soul. These studies lead to rethinking previous conceptions of the subject and expanding the horizons of what the term cemetery implies and its functional role as part of the cultural landscape and as a specialized tourist resource. The lack of research as an input for education is presented as one of the main factors of erosion of the sense of identity and belonging and of the deterioration and loss of the heritage involved.
Keywords: Chullpares – cemetery of turtles – Almitas – cultural landscape