What types of work do many Indigenous people in Peru’s highlands do?

Many Indigenous people in the Peruvian highlands (the Sierra) engage in subsistence farming on small plots of land to support themselves. Their agricultural work primarily involves cultivating crops suited to the high-altitude environment, such as potatoes, wheat, corn, and quinoa.12

In addition to crop cultivation, many highland Indigenous people work as pastoralists, shepherding herds of llama and alpaca. While some of these herders belong to wider ethnic groups, they often act as specialists, relying on kinsmen closer to Lake Titicaca for food staples. Furthermore, traditional crafts such as textile weaving remain an important activity for Indigenous people in the region to the present day.314