Galois actions on homotopy groups of algebraic varieties

We study the Galois actions on the l-adic schematic and Artin-Mazur homotopy groups of algebraic varieties. For proper varieties of good reduction over a local field K, we show that the l-adic schematic homotopy groups are mixed representations explicitly determined by the Galois action on cohomology of Weil sheaves, whenever l is not equal to the residue characteristic p of K. For quasiprojective varieties of good reduction, there is a similar characterisation involving the Gysin spectral sequence. When l=p, a slightly weaker result is proved by comparing the crystalline and p-adic schematic homotopy types. Under favourable conditions, a comparison theorem transfers all these descriptions to the Artin-Mazur homotopy groups pi(et)(n)(X-(K) over bar)circle times((Z) over cap)Q(l).