Where places fold: The co-production of matter and meaning in an Aymara ritual setting

Abstract

This article explores the enigmatic centrality of a seemingly unoccupied place located at the very heart of an Andean community in northern Chile. It investigates how the apparent emptiness of a ritual site paradoxically operates as an ineffable agent that articulates beings, things and landscapes. The author argues that the study of what happens in this place is of significance beyond regional studies. It goes beyond the usual cultural frameworks to consider theoretical concepts such as topology, materiality, vitality and relationality. In order to explore this, he investigates how the ‘empty’ heart of the ceremonial centre, Isluga Marka – the place that blurs borders and centres ( taypi) – emerges as a theoretically challenging topological phenomenon. The ethnography underlying this article is problematized in order to contribute to the general understanding of how matter, place and meaning can become entangled and mutually constituted.