Aymara is a language spoken by almost 3 million people in Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. Aymara is the 3rd most spoken language and the 2nd most spoken indigenous language in Peru. Aymara is an official language in Peru and Bolivia. Aymara has had an influence on the Quechua language, with some Quechua vocabulary coming from Aymara. Aymara used to have more speakers over a larger area, but has lost speakers to Spanish and Quechua.
Aymara is mostly spoken in areas near Puno, and is not common in places like Cusco, where Quechua is the main indigenous language. The language has borrowed a number of words from Spanish. Until recently the Aymara language did not have a writing system, but the language is now written with the Spanish form of the Latin alphabet. In 1985, the government of Peru introduced an alphabet for Aymara known as the Aymara Official Alphabet or Unified Alphabet.
A few English words originate in Aymara, including alpaca. Aymara has an interesting understanding of time. Aymara and Quechua both represent the past as being in front of them and the future as being behind them.
To visit this places where this language is spoken, we recommend our travel package Puno and Lake Titicaca where the Aymara language is spoken by the people and thus experience a true immersion into Peruvian culture
