Relaciones étnicas y económicas de poder: la conquista incaica en el valle del Colca, Arequipa

Abstract

Ethnic and Economic Power Relations: The Inca Conquest in Colca Valley, Arequipa

The Colca Valley offers a unique opportunity to examine Inca strategies of conquest and consolidation in a bi-cultural province. Previous studies assumed that the variation observed in the Inca occupation of Collagua and Cabana territories were due principally to ecological and economic differences. Here, I present preliminary results from an archaeological survey conducted in the surroundings of Lari and Cabanaconde towns, and suggest the need for a historically-informed diachronic approach to understand Inca strategies. I conclude that it is the interplay of social, political and economic factors that leads to a particular division of power in the valley under Inca rule.