From inka tambos to colonial tambarrías: law, economy and the «licentious» Activities of indigenous women

Abstract

Historical accounts of the Iberian incursion into the Andes indicate that Spaniards were amazed by the sophisticated roads and waystations (tambos) they encountered across Andean territory. During and after the Iberian conquest, indigenous and Spanish armies constantly burned tambos for strategic reasons, in order to slow the movement of enemy troops. Despite this practice, tambos were one of the few institutions that continued during the colonial  period. The Spanish rapidly recognized that tambos were beneficial for their economy, specifically markets and mining exploitation that required the movement of people, things, and animals across the Andean region. Consequently, during the early colonial period, Iberians dictated laws promoting the smooth functioning of tambos as a way of regulating the practices occurring in them; transforming tambos into a new colonial institution. In this article, I call attention to the transformation of tambos from a pre-Hispanic to a colonial institution as well as the colonial desire to control indigenous behavior in the new Andean society. I specially focus on the colonial fixation over the bodies of indigenous women, illustrating some aspects of the ideology of power exerted over indigenous communities. Finally, I discuss the importance of archaeology to better understand the transformation of tambos from the pre-Hispanic to the colonial period.