Poder estatal y cultura material en el Kollasuyu

Abstract

The Power of the State and the Material Culture in Kollasuyu

Ideology is a central element of cultural systems. It is also a source of social power particularly as it relates to the capacity of the state to control and manage the social work of a group of people to obtain benefits. This study analyzes the Inka manipulation of power in the attempt to achieve domination and control of native populations in the Calchaqui and Yocavil valleys of Northwest Argentina (NOA), between AD 1000-AD 1536. These processes are viewed through the study of the coercive and symbolic role of architecture and the production and use of symbolic objects, specially ceramics. The contest between native societies from NOA and the Inka State is understood as a key process in the structuration of social relationships and the manipulation of power in this region.