The people of Yampara (Tarabuco) and Jalq'a primarily speak Quechua, and are easily distinguished and recognizable due to their different dresses, music and dances. They should be thought of as ethnic groups rather than as homogenous communities, as they typically live spread out in small communities.

Originally, it is thought that both groups started as two halves of the Yampara chief-dom, the major ethnic group of the region before the Spanish invasion. Under Spanish domain the chiefdom disappeared, and its two halves split and merged with other ethnic groups, to form the two different ethnical groups that exist today.

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Before the Spanish invasion, the Andean cultures had no letter system. Their way to exchange information was through textiles. Patterns and colors told stories. The Jal'a and Yampara textiles from Bolivia are very figurative and therefore invite readers to interpret them, to read them. They tell stories of life, festivals, the present and history and the past, tell wisdom and fairy tells. 

This section explores the rich cultural identities of the Yampara (Tarabuco) and Jalq’a peoples. Through their clothing, beliefs, music, and weaving styles, we will delve into what makes each culture unique.