Making Way for Memory The Return of Warpe Ancestors to Their Ancestral Territory in Uyata (Rivadavia, Mendoza)

Abstract

Making a Path to Memory recounts the process of returning ancestral bodies from the Warpe People in Mendoza. In the Department of Rivadavia, 30 bodies of various ages, mostly children and women, were found in a mass grave in the backyard of a house under construction. These ancestors were massacred and dumped there, possibly during the colonial era. The news of this discovery shocked the local residents, who contacted representatives and authorities of the Warpe Pelectay Community. Thus, within the framework of National Restitution Law 25,517, a process was initiated to demand the return of these bodies from the provincial Heritage Directorate and archaeologists. The path to achieving the return of ancestors to the territory in Uyata (Rivadavia) is the construction of warpe memory, and pain is transformed into an experience of love, respect, and ancestral dialogue that clarifies how grandparents are present and act through people, transmitting a message of truth and justice. This memory, constructed as part of the injustices experienced, acts as a reconfiguration of the current struggle. Despite the denial and violence of institutions, the demand for identity and territory triumphs in the hope of an ancestral reunion that will soon materialize.