Changes in Drinking Patterns in Bolivian Cultures: A Cautionary Tale About Historical Approaches

Abstract

In recent years it has become commonplace to acknowledge that drinking patterns not only vary among different populations but that, for any given group, they often vary significantly over time. Macroscopic studies using the nation-state have provided some interesting insights, but microscopic studies using ethnographic techniques provide more understanding of actual dynamics and interrelationships among factors. This paper examines some of the diversity among cultures within the Republic of Bolivia, with an emphasis on continuity and change in the use of alcoholic beverages, and the outcomes of such uses. Ecology, economic activities, interethnic relations, religion, and technology are among the variables discussed, using Camba horticulturalists in the tropical forest, the neighboring hunter-gatherer Siriono, and Aymara villagers interacting with both Mestizo townspeople and diverse outsiders in the coca-growing highland valleys.

Key Words:

• alcohol
• Bolivia
• change
• culture
• drinking patterns
• cross-cultural