Exploring Local and Imperial Strategies in the Chincha Valley

Summary

Inca archaeologists have regarded the Chincha Valley as a special case of imperial expansion due to the privileged position that the Chincha held within Tawantinsuyu. From the ethnohistoric documents we learn that the Chincha Kingdom was powerful, controlling long-distance maritime trade to Ecuador. The Chincha also relied on a highly specialized economy composed of fishermen, merchants, and agriculturalists. Previous studies of the Chincha Valley have emphasized coastal centers of fishermen and merchants, but in this poster session I present new research on how the large agricultural center of Las Huacas accommodated economic changes during the Late Horizon (A.D. 1470-1532). The archaeological site of Las Huacas covers 105-ha. and contains unique stratigraphy, a 2.5 m deposit that accumulated throughout the Late Horizon. This deposit is composed of various layers of fill and distinct floors, allowing us to establish a fine-grained chronology within the Late Horizon and explore changes that were brought about by the Inca occupation of the valley. By analyzing the cultural artifacts, plant material, faunal remains, and a series of architectural transformations associated with these distinct levels, this poster will present recent research on which activities at Las Huacas changed and which remained largely unchanged during Inca occupation.

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): 20590