Danitza L. Márquez Ramírez

Land Tenure and Asymmetrical Dependencies in Colonial Peru: The Agencies of an Indigenous Elite Family in the Longue Durée

In many areas of the pre-Hispanic Andes, the management of ressources was exercised by local chiefs to ensure their redistribution and facilitate wellness for their communities. Therefore, concepts such as "ownership" or "property" related to land tenure introduced by the European colonizers in the 16th century onwards caused major upheaval for the indigenous societies, since their "land rights" were only valid after Spanish legal acknowledgment. This recognition allowed individuals to exercise "ownership" and the access to agricultural and livestock regional markets and thus, economic profits, which consequently made them dependent on the lands they could usufruct.

Nevertheless, this dependency became "strongly asymmetrical" when the Spanish judicial authorities favored the interests of indigenous elites while undermining those of the indigenous commoners, whose condition within the Colonial system was defined in terms of tributary labour coercion. Through the life trajectory of indigenous elite families of northern Peru in the long-durée perspective (16th–18th centuries), my aim is to analyze long-lasting conflicts regarding land tenure and propose a comprehensive approach from the perspective of asymmetrical dependencies on natural resources and Spanish legal recognition.

since 2018                 
Ph.D. in Anthropology of the Americas, University of Bonn, Germany

2016–2018                 
M.A. in Anthropology of the Americas, University of Bonn, Germany

2008–2012                 
Bachelor in Social Sciences (focus on History), Universidad Nacional de Trujillo, Peru

2015                             
Historian's Degree, Universidad Nacional de Trujillo, Peru

since 2019             
Research Associate in Research Area C Institutions, Norms and Practices, University of Bonn, Germany

2018–2019                 
Research Assistant, Institut für Archäologie und Kulturanthropologie, University of Bonn, Germany

2016–2018                 
Scholarship Holder, Katholischer Akademischer Ausländer-Dienst

2011–2012                 
Student Assistant, Department of History, Universidad Nacional de Trujillo, Peru

since 2019             
Member of the Society for American Archaeology

2019                             
Curatorial Committee, Exhibition "1519–2019: Colonialism and Survival Strategies," University of Bonn, Germany

2010                             
Organizational Committee, Conference "Primer Congreso Nacional de Estudiantes de Historia," Universidad Nacional de Trujillo, Peru