This article analyzes the migratory and organizational processes of Aymara women in the city of Arica, highlighting how traditional textile production becomes a key strategy for both economic subsistence and cultural reaffirmation. Beginning with migration from the highland regions to the city in the 1960s, Aymara families had to adapt to new urban conditions, facing poverty, job insecurity, and transformations in family structure. In this context, women revived the textile craft, combining domestic responsibilities with income generation. Initially supported by NGOs and later by state policies such as the 1993 Indigenous Law, the artisans organized themselves into workshops, associations, and cooperatives, creating productive and social spaces outside the home. These organizations not only provide access to resources but also promote female participation in the public sphere. From an architectural perspective, the study shows how social housing and urban neighborhoods are reshaped by Aymara cultural practices through self-construction and appropriation of urban space. The shift from individual to associative forms of organization reveals a process of cultural innovation, where tradition and modernity intertwine, generating new ways of inhabiting, producing, and organizing life in the city without renouncing Aymara identity.
