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The Aymaras are an ancient people of herders and farmers
that use ancestral techniques.
They spread from the shores of the Titicaca Lake and
the Andean Mountains to the northeast of Argentina.
Their territory expands over the borders of several
nations.
The Aymara economy depends on exchanges between producers
from the higher and lower altitudes. In the Altiplano,
people have abundant livestock but few plantations,
while those living in the precordillera, produce plenty
of vegetables, fruits and seeds, mainly due to their
efficient system of traditional terraces.
Their geographical distribution stimulates an intensive
trade between herdsmen and farmers.
Their economy is based on reciprocity, or ayne, that
grants every Aymara the return of what is given.
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