Running Down That Hill: Inka Imperial Problems in the Tropical Montane Cloud Forests of Ecuador

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Archaeology of Tropical Montane Cloud Forests" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Over multiple Inka emperors’ reigns, Tawantinsuyu (the Inka Empire) had notoriously difficult experiences trying to secure their foothold in the Amazon. When marching north into the highlands of modern Ecuador, the Inkas thought it best to expand westward with their colonial agenda prioritizing access to the Pacific Coast before the northwestern Amazon. However, this region was distinctly tropical in comparison to the desert coasts of modern Peru and Chile. This tropical montane cloud forest was challenging to navigate and the diverse societies that resided there proved to be resilient and not necessarily culturally intelligible to the socially hierarchical organization of Tawantinsuyu. What started off in as imperial aggression in many cases quickly shifted toward imperial courting of societies that could not be subdued even well into Spanish colonialism. Through several case studies of Inka sites throughout this region from southern to northern Ecuador, we will explore the varied and often problematic situations the Inkas encountered while trying to court this unique region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)   •
• The Archaeology of Tropical Montane Cloud Forests

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36958.0