Puquina language

Pukina language distribution around 1600 CE, Pukina toponyms, and pre-Inca Pukina ethnicities.

Puquina (or Pukina) is an extinct language once spoken by a native ethnic group in the region surrounding Lake Titicaca (Perú and Bolivia) and in the north of Chile. It is often associated with Tiwanaku.

Remnants of Puquina can be found in the Quechua and Spanish languages spoken in the south of Perú, mainly in Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna as well as in Bolivia. There also appear to be remnants in Callahuaya (Kolyawaya), which may be a mix of Quechua and Puquina. (Kaufman (1990) finds this proposal plausible.)

Some theories claim that "Qhapaq Simi", the cryptic language of the Inca nobility of Peru, was closely related to Puquina, while the "Runa Simi" or Quechua was the language of the people.

Sometimes the term Puquina is used for Uru, which is a different language.

References

• Adelaar, Willem and van de Kerke, Simon (2009). Puquina. In: Mily Crevels and Pieter Muysken (eds.) Lenguas de Bolivia, vol. I, 125-146. La Paz: Plural editores. (in Spanish)