Potatoes: Crops with the Rise and Fall of Inca Civilization

Instructor

Cho, Hyejin

Ph.D. The Spanish Language and Culture, Korea University. Previously Adjunct Professor in Konkuk Univ., University of Seoul, Korea Univ. / Research Fellow in Asia, Africa, Latin America Literature Research Center/ Currently Senior Research Fellow in Spain/Latin America Research Institute, Executive director in the Association of Latin American Studies, Research Professor in CORE Project team, Korea Univ./ published a number of journal articles including "The change of diaspora experience and identity in Galician of Miguel Barnett,” “Los personajes con rasgos marginales en las novelas de Luisa (The characters with marginal features in Luisa's novels),” "Strategies of Memory Repression and Resistance in Louisiana Valencia's ‘National Reality in Bed.’"

Potatoes, like peppers, tobacco, and tomatoes, are eggplants native to the Americas. It is known as the crop of the soul alongside the legend that they were a divine gift. In ancient Latin America, potatoes and corn were pivotal in large-scale engineering projects. Due to their high potato productivity, civilisations such as the Mayans, Aztecs, and Inca were possible.

This lecture examines the path of potatoes ingrained in modern life, exploring how potatoes were the source of Inca civilisation and a staple for indigenous people in Latin America. Additionally, it reflects on the value of potatoes embedded in the history and culture of indigenous communities in Latin America.