Inca Views of the Native Groups of Southern Ecuador

Summary

Over time, the Incas created varying narratives surrounding the native groups of southern Ecuador, including the Paltas, Cañaris, and coastal groups, such as the Punaes. I examine these narratives through historical accounts from both northern sources and Cusco-centric writers, which serve as our primary sources of information, and compare these to archaeological data, which are mainly limited to the Cañari region. These narratives are the product of the history of Inca interactions from initial contact and conquest through the subsequent impacts of colonization, Inca civil war, and Spanish conquest, and they present attitudes toward those groups that range from indifference (Paltas) or scorn (Punaes) to respect (Cañaris). How the Incas treated these groups had impacts on how their ethnic identities were transformed or maintained during the Inca and Spanish Colonial eras, and show a pattern of consolidation of numerous smaller, related groups. Overall, the Cañaris fared best, and there are even documents revealing aspects of their own narratives of who they were during the Inca era. In contrast, the Paltas and the coastal groups were less favored by the Incas, and we have little of their own voices preserved in the historical record.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22041