Processes of State Formation in the Inca Heartland (Cuzco, Peru)

Abstract

This article addresses Inca state formation in the central highlands of Peru. Using ethnohistoric materials and new archaeological survey data from three areas surrounding Cuzco, the capital of the Inca empire, we argue that rapid Inca expansion after C.E. 1400 was made possible by long-term processes of state formation and regional consolidation. From C.E. 1000-1400, a centralized state developed in the Cuzco Valley, extending its direct administrative control over numerous neighboring groups. Less powerful neighboring polities accepted Inca adm nistration early on, perhaps even n tiating Inca patronage. Strong rivals to Inca control maintained their independence, at times depopulating intermediate areas and settling in defensive sites to protect settlements and resources. Finally, groups of intermediate complexity used alliances and violence to align themselves with the strongest regional competitors. Such variability in regional integration strategies reveals how Inca state formation processes influenced later patterns of imperial conquest and administraton. [

Skeletal evidence for Inca warfare from the Cuzco region of Peru

“…The first hypothesis focuses on the role of warfare in the rise of the Inca during the Late Intermediate Period (AD 1000-1400). This was a period of regional competition in Cuzco, in which factionalized polities vied for control in the power vacuum left by the collapse of the Wari Empire (Bauer and Covey, 2002;D'Altroy, 2002;McEwan et al, 2002). However, it is unclear how much of this competition manifested in warfare-a question that can be directly addressed through the skeletal evidence.…”

“…The evidence for warfare would likely be centered in Cuzco city, where the Inca were establishing their capital, but could also have extended beyond the immediate core into the Cuzco periphery where other polities vied for power. These polities included the Pinagua, centered at the monumental site of Choquepukio 30 km southeast of Cuzco; the nearby Mohina of the Lucre Basin; and the Ayarmaca, who controlled territory to the north of Cuzco (Espinoza Soriano, 1974;Bauer and Covey, 2002;Mc-Ewan et al, 2002:292;Hiltunen and Mc-Ewan, 2004:246).…”

“….'' These archaeological data instead suggest a gradual political and economic centralization of Inca power in the Cuzco core (Bauer, 1992;Bauer and Covey, 2002;Covey, 2003Covey, , 2006.…”

New World States and Empires: Politics, Religion, and Urbanism

“…As a result, the chapters in this book present insightful analyses of Inka imperialism and its local effects. Other notable studies of Inka statecraft and provincial administration include Bauer (1998), Bauer and Covey (2002), Covey (2000Covey ( , 2003, D'Altroy et al (2000), Hayashida (1999), Matos (1994), and .…”

Arqueología De Las Llaqtas Del Valle Del Apurímac: Contribución Al Estudio De La Territorialidad De Las Comunidades Aldeanas Serranas en Los Andes Prehispánicos

“…3 En la mayoría de los estudios, la ocupación de los pueblos del Intermedio Tardío durante Horizonte Tardío solo ha sido evaluada según la presencia/ausencia de cultura material inca, lo que constituye un indicador problemático en ausencia de fechados de contextos estratigráficos. 4 En el valle de Cuzco no existen claras evidencias de un abandono masivo de los asentamientos habitacionales del PIT durante el proceso de formación del Estado y del desarrollo urbano del Cuzco (Bauer y Covey 2002). En los valles circundantes del Vilcanota y del Apurímac (en la región de Paruro), el patrón de asentamiento habitacional no experimentó grandes cambios, en margen de la formación de los dominios incas.…”