Abya Yala

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Abya Yala is the name chosen by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas in 1992 to replace the name of the North and South American continents.

The expression, which in the Kuna language means "land in its full maturity", is used by the Kuna to refer to the continents.

The Aymara leader Takir Mamani argues for the use of the term "Abya Yala" in the official declarations of indigenous peoples' governing bodies, saying that "placing foreign names on our villages, our cities, and our continents is equilvaent to subjecting our identity to the will of our invaders and their heirs."