The Chipaya people live in the Bolivian Altiplano. Their ecological, economic, and social isolation forms the basis of a strong ethnic consciousness present in their mythistory. This consciousness is closely related to the present, explaining and justifying their way of life and their tense relationship with their Aymara neighbors. In the story, mythic and historical discourse is fused into "mythistory" in order to construct their "ethnic identity," concepts that provide the article's theoretical framework.