The role of the tambo in the Inka administration: a view from the site of Ingatambo, Cajamarca-Jaen, Peru

Summary

Archaeological investigations conducted at the site of Ingatambo highlight the Inka imperial policy in the provinces, which relied on the use of local ethnic groups in the state bureaucracy. Colonial documentation noted the movement of coastal communities within the Inka Empire to the Cajamarca region in order to serve in the tambos. Pottery sherds from the Ingatambo site illustrate that the coastal communities charged with administrating this site continued to produce pottery following the style of the northern coast. In addition, the presence of a ceremonial area at this site suggests the importance of this structure in the Inka imperial economy. It is possible that the Ingatambo site functioned as a center in which social relations were reinforced within the communities located in the Huancabamba Valley. This research offers a perspective on the provinces of the Inka imperialism in which the tambos played a significant role in the Inka administration because they symbolized not only the Inka presence but also reinforced social cohesion.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage