Abstract

VALQUI, Jairo  and  ZIEMENDORFF, Michaela. Vestiges of a native language in the territory of the Chachapoyas culture. Letras [online]. 2016, vol.87, n.125, pp.5-32. ISSN 2071-5072.

Previous research which focused on the toponymy and anthroponymy of the ancient peoples of the Chachapoyas culture in the southern portion of the Amazonas region has led to the hypothesis of a pre-Inca original language, later supplanted by Quechua prior to the Spanish Conquest. The extant historical documents, however, do not mention any such pre-Quechua language in this geographical area. This article presents a linguistic analysis to determine if the toponymy and anthroponymy have preserved vestiges of one or more languages in the region occupied by this culture, and therefore, if it is justifiable to refer to a chacha language. The study concerns itself primarily with field work focused on the analysis of pre-Quechua place names that sustain the concept of an original language in part of the Chachapoyan territory

Keywords : Toponymy; Anthroponymy; Chachapoyas culture; Chacha language; Amazonas.

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