The Qeucha people are extremely interesting and one of my favourite groups that we have learned about during class. The vast variety of terrain within the local lands is incredible and just shows how the former Incan empire was formed out of the now more dissimilar independent groups that make up the Quechua nation. Learning how the Quecha groups actively try to maintain the culture and traditions brought down from the Incas was inspiring and shows similarities between the other groups we have previously learned about. The biggest difference though from the other indigenous groups, and what I find most interesting between them, is how the difference in local terrain creates huge differences between groups of Quechua. While most Quecha groups seem to have similar staples such as quinoa, potatoes, and local meats. The quantity of how much percentage these local staples make up your diet seem to vary depending on where you are located within Peru and the Indigenous lands. This is most likely due to the sharp differences in elevation and terrain that most likely create distinct agricultural patterns that developed the divergent dietary patterns. These differences in agricultural patterns and opportunities must be the main reason for the development of large complicated trading traditions and institutions. Since the Quechua languages are often extremely unique, I wonder if there are common phrases to describe food or other trading goods so that groups could successfully trade with each in the pre-globalized era. Maybe some groups have the local word for potato while using a general word when interacting between other groups. Rosie’s thoughts about this were very interesting and I would love to ask her more regarding the differences in food practices and if the differences in languages within the Quecha people may have a correlative or causative relationship with the differences in food practices.  Like Rosie said, the Incan empire must have been so huge that the differences in languages and food systems must be just a few remnants of the complicated institutions that once made up the Incan empire. 

If I’m not mistaken the Quecha people and the former Incan empire are the first group of indigenous people that we have talked about that successfully domesticated animals before the Colombian exchange period started. I can’t think of an equivalent situation as to what the Quecha people have done with Llamas and Alpacas. This ability to domesticate Llamas and other native animals must have come from a desire brought by the need to trade in difficult terrain and vast distances. As well, while they didn’t domesticate potatoes, they were able to successfully create a way to eat them without suffering any of the consequences of ingesting the chemicals within “wild” potatoes. While other groups we have learned about also innovated intensively, I would argue that the developments created by the Quecha people are so much more intensive because of the need to adapt within complicated and difficult lands.