Incas in the Northern Highlands: Late Horizon Evidence at Ichabamba in the Condebamba Valley

Summary

The Condebamba valley, covering the southern part of the Cajamarca-Huamachuco road, constituted the privileged scenario of the interaction among local groups and foreign empires. Several surveys along this part of the Inca road have established the cultural sequence in the region and the main features of its settlements. One of these sites, Ichabamba, exhibits stone walls in a rectangular layout, with two narrow subdivisions framing a large central space. Due to its architectural features, Ichabamba was considered by several researchers as yet another Wari site in the North Highlands. However, the evidence recovered this season suggests a later construction of the site during the Late Horizon and a strong Inca influence. In this paper, we present the results of the 2015 field season at Ichabamba, as well as a preliminary interpretation about the Inca influence over the site and the valley. The materials, although scarce, and the strategic location of Ichabamba, point to its use as a way station or vantage point. In this scenario, the relationship between the Cajamarca and Huamachuco polities seems to have set up a complex and dynamic cultural landscape during the Late Horizon.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16001