Paper Short Abstract:

My paper delves the conflicts between the aspirations of Quechua populations for a development imbued with capitalist characteristics and the intellectuals’ vision for the future, advocating the suspension of an airport infrastructure to safeguard the landscape and the traditional Andean lifestyle.

Paper Abstract:

My paper delves into the conflicts that arise when infrastructure remains a project whit uncertain construction prospects. In 2020, the Peruvian government announced the construction of an international airport in the Chinchero district (Urubamba province, Cusco region). The statement provoked a fierce response from both Peruvian and international intellectuals, who argued that the airport would jeopardize the intangible heritage of humanity, local archaeological sites, and the rural landscape.

Conversely, local peasants expressed optimism, anticipating that the infrastructure would transform the town into a “modern city”, complete with roads, concrete houses, malls, etc. fostering the expectation that such development would generate new employment opportunities. A local leader encapsulated the stance of Chincherinos affirming: “The airport is our future”. This sentiment stems from the conviction that the airport will provide an avenue to transition away from farming. Local organizations are so committed with the infrastructure project that they have rallied to demand the government to proceed with the construction of an airport, eagerly awaited for fifty years.

Leveraging data gathered since my fieldwork commencement in 2013 in Chinchero, I will analyze the tension between the aspirations of the peasant populations for a development imbued with capitalist characteristics and the intellectuals’ vision for the future, advocating the suspension of the project to safeguard the preservation of the traditional lifestyle. This case shows that even before their construction, infrastructure is at the core of social transformation in Quechua societies, whose population are already creating networks to engage with invisible yet expected state-planned technological objects.