The wiphala flag, wiphala or wiphala emblem is the symbol of the indigenous peoples of the Tahuantinsuyo, which covers the Andean area of Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. The wiphala describes a quadrangular surface divided into 49 squares, colored diagonally with the colors of the rainbow.
There are four versions of the wiphala, barely differentiated by the color order. Each version represents one of the Tahuantinsuyo regions (‘four territories’ in the Quechua language). These territories are: Collasuyu, Chincasuyu, Antisuyu and Cuntisuyu. The best known wiphala is that of Collasuyu, where the Aymara or Aymara are found.
Version of the wiphala according to each of the four territories of the Tahuantinsuyo.
Meaning of the wiphala flag
The meaning of the wiphala is very complex, since it represents the cosmogony of the Tahuantinsuyo peoples. It symbolizes two fundamental values of the Andean ethnic groups: the Pachakama , a principle of Universal order, and the Pachamama , which refers to Mother Earth, to the cosmos. Everything is linked in the values of solidarity, brotherhood and community.
Some researchers argue that in pre-Columbian times, wiphala was related to daily or economic activities (agriculture, textiles, etc.), and was linked to the Inca calendar.
Wiphala is also a symbol of traditions and customs, of shared joys and sorrows. Thus, it is raised in community celebrations, solemn festivals, indigenous popular festivals, dances, etc.
Today, wiphala has become a symbol of indigenous resistance against modern political-economic practices of domination. It is also a symbol of cultural diversity or, more specifically, of equality and unity in diversity.
The word wiphala comes from the Aymara or Aymara culture. It is formed by the union of two terms: wiphai , which refers to an exclamation of triumph, and laphaqi , whose approximate translation is ‘object that flutters in the wind’.
It may interest you: Quechua .
Meaning of the colors of the wiphala
The colors of the wiphala are taken from the rainbow, which the Tahuantinsuyo cultures interpret as a reference to the ancestors. Each color has a specific meaning.
- Blue: cosmic space and its influence on the earth world.
- Yellow: strength and energy, linked to moral principles and values of solidarity.
- White: time and transformation process that brings intellectual and work growth. Also symbol of the Markas (counties) and Suyus (regions).
- Orange: symbol of culture and society, as well as the preservation of the species.
- Red: represents the planet.
- Green: economy, linked to land and territory.
- Violet: political and ideological order of the culture itself.
History of the wiphala flag
Left: Aboriginal fabric from the Tiwaunakota period, Brooklyn Museum.
Right: Attributed to the Master of Calamarca: Archangel Gabriel as a harquebusier , Church of Calamarca, Bolivia, s. XVIII.
The historical origin of wiphala is uncertain. It is known that the essential elements of the wiphala design existed since pre-Columbian times, but not as a flag but as a kind of emblem, since the flags were introduced to America by Europeans.
There are references in aboriginal art and in the art of the colony that show the existence of textiles and other implements where the basic form of wiphala appears.
The wiphala flag of the Aymara people began to spread widely in the contemporary world in the 1970s. This was due to the mobilizations and protests of indigenous peasant unions that took place in Bolivia during that period.
In 1987 in Bolivia, a group of researchers focused on the task of investigating the symbols of the Tahuantinsuyo cultures and the records that reveal the presence and evolution of wiphala. From this research, current versions of wiphala were built.
The Aymara wiphara or Collasuyu was constitutionally recognized as a symbol of the Bolivian State since 2008, during the administration of Evo Morales.
