Elsa and Erica are a mother-daughter pair. Elsa, Erica’s mother, grew up in Laguna de Rosario, one of the Huarpe communities in Lavalle. Due to limited access to education, Elsa, like many other people in her generation and community, completed education through the primary level before beginning work. However, her daughter Erica had more access to education by moving to Mendoza Capital. There, she completed secondary school, technical school, and is currently working towards a degree in Social Communication.
Elsa recalled carp in the lagoon that were 4 to 5 kilos and the widespread artisanship of wool and leather in the community. She spoke of the time she spent with her grandparents as a child and the pure innocence of childhood for her generation. Erica spoke eloquently about the discrimination Huarpe and other indigenous communities in Argentina face; sharing that many people say indigenous people are Chilean and do not belong in the lands their ancestors are from.
“Poder recuperar esa historia que se nos fue quitada mediante libros que fueron hechos por personas que desconocían que existía el pueblo Huarpe … Para ellos, si fuera una sociedad de blancos europeos serian felices.”
“To be able to recuperate the history that was taken away from us through books that were written by people that did not know that Huarpe people exist … For them, if it were a society of white Europeans, they would be happy.”