Cultural Production and Wealth Generation: Weaving Pedagogical
Relationships with Good Living
Abstract
Andean communities resist cultural homogenization and reivindicate their identity,
sustainability, and ancestral values. Cultural production, understood as an act of resistance,
integrates traditions, music, and handicrafts as pillars of social cohesion and sustainability.
The purpose of this essay is to analyze, through a critical review of the literature, key works
such as Leff’s (2009) environmental rationality and de Sousa Santos’s (2010) ecology of
knowledges, as well as practical cases and public policies that reflect the application of good
living in education and sustainability. It is argued that these theories challenge extractivist
development models, promoting a notion of wealth that encompasses social, cultural, and
environmental well-being. The qualitative and documentary methodology applied was
grounded in a critical and decolonial perspective to interpret the connections between cultural
production, wealth, and pedagogy, with particular attention to community practices that resist
extractivist models. The results highlight that integrating local knowledge and community
values into education strengthens cultural identity, promotes sustainability, and redefines
wealth beyond the material. The pedagogy of good living, with its focus on balance with
nature and the community, offers an ethical and practical alternative to the hegemonic
development model. It is concluded that this approach contributes to social justice, cultural
preservation, and sustainability, representing a path towards an equitable and harmonious
future.
Keywords: cultural production, ancestral knowledge, pedagogical practices, wealth
generation, good living
Introducción
La interrelación entre la producción cultural, la riqueza y la pedagogía del buen vivir
(Sumak Kawsay) constituye un campo de estudio multidimensional que aborda las
implicaciones sociales, económicas y educativas del bienestar integral en el contexto de las
comunidades indígenas y su visión alternativa del desarrollo. Así, en el corazón de las
comunidades andinas, las luchas por la resistencia y re-existencia se enfocan en la
preservación ecológica de sus espacios vitales. La resistencia cultural en Abya Yala
Abya Yala, que significa Tierra Madura, Tierra Viva o Tierra en Florecimiento, fue el término utilizado
por los Kuna, pueblo originario que habita en Colombia y Panamá, para designar al territorio
comprendido por el Continente Americano. “De acuerdo con el momento histórico vivido, se referían a
este territorio de diferente forma: Kualagum Yala, Tagargun Yala, Tinya Yala, y Abya Yala, siendo este
último el que coincidió con la llegada de los españoles. El término Abya Yala es en sí mismo un símbolo
de identidad y respeto hacia las raíces de los pueblos originarios” (Carrera y Ruiz, 2016:12)