Inka Economic and Ritual Landscapes in the Cañete Valley: Strategies to Align the Lunahuana and Guarco

Summary

I will assess strategies employed by the Inka state in interactions with local populations in the Cañete Valley and adjacent valleys. The Spanish found two señorios in the lower Cañete Valley: the Lunahuana, whom they described as well organized and inclined to submit to Inka rule and the Guarco who lived on the shore, offered fierce resistance, and were brutally subdued. The Inka built Inkawasi in Lunahuana territory, envisioned as one copy of Cusco. Inka presence in Guarco territory is documented at Cerro Azul, a primary Guarco center. Its protected bay served as harbour for a society whose economy was based on maritime resources, associated with documented fishing rituals, as well as on irrigation agriculture. The Inka built Cusco-style structures on the cliffs bordering the port, including a wall covering the rocky cliff surface with a staircase descending to the sea. My discussion will assess this exceptional wak’a in relation to Inka cults of the Sun, water, and stone ideology as well as in relation to other Inka installations in nearby valleys, such as Pachacamac, Cerro Bandurria, and El Salitre. The strategic position of Cerro Azul in the Inka road system will also be considered in the analysis.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22169