 Member of theMilkayak Huarpe ethnicity | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Argentina (Cuyo) | |
| Argentina | 34,279[1] |
| Languages | |
| Spanish; formerlyQuechua andHuarpe | |
| Religion | |
| traditional tribal religion | |
TheHuarpes orWarpes are anindigenous people ofArgentina, living in theCuyo region. Some scholars assume that in theHuarpe language, this word means "sandy ground,"[2] but according toArte y Vocabulario de la lengua general del Reino de Chile, written byAndrés Febrés in Lima in 1765, the wordCuyo comes fromAraucaniancuyum puulli, meaning "sandy land" or "desert country".[3]
Huarpe people settled in permanent villages beginning in the 5th century CE. About 50 to 100 people lived in a village, making them smaller thanDiaguita settlements. They were agrarian people who grew corn (Zea mays), beans, squash, and quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa).[4] Towards the 15th century, Huarpe territory expanded into the current Argentinian provinces ofSan Luis,Mendoza andSan Juan and even on the north of theNeuquen Province. They inhabited between theJáchal River at north, to theDiamante River at south and between theAndes andConlara Valley on San Luis.[5] They were never fully part of theIncan Empire, but were influenced by Inca culture and adopted llama ranching and theQuechua language after 1480.[4]
Chilean encomenderos who hadencomiendas inCuyo introduced to Chile indigenous Huarpes, whom they hired to other Spaniards without encomiendas.[6]
