Cochasquí under the Inka: Reassessing the Inka presence in northern Ecuador

Summary

The archaeological site of Cochasquí exhibits some of Ecuador’s largest and most ornate earthen pyramids or Tolas. With long dirt ramps and truncated steps of cangahua blocks, the Cochasquí pyramids are some of the most recognizable in the country. It was at this site that the Inka first encountered and conquered one of the great polities of the Caranqui Confederation. Sometime after its conquest by the Inka, the Spanish arrive and, by all historic accounts, the location was abandoned by 1580 leaving only a hacienda and a tambo in its place. The three other major Caranqui Confederation polities today have large cities associated with them, yet Cochasquí is still relatively uninhabited leaving behind a somewhat pristine archaeological site. What happened at this site between the arrival of the Inka and its eventual abandonment is poorly understood. While many archaeologists believe that the area was initially abandoned after the arrival of the Inka, historic and archaeological evidence suggests not only that the site was occupied until the arrival of the Spanish, but that the Inka played a large role in its final configuration.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage