A Tenuous Prize: Archaeology of the Inka Conquest of Northern Highland Ecuador

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Barbacoan World: Recognizing and Preserving the Unique Indigenous Cultural Developments of the Northern Andes" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The numerous Inka forts in northern highland Ecuador, more than reported from most other imperial provinces, suggest preoccupations with the region and its inhabitants. The Barbacoan-speaking locals were indeed powerful and a potentially difficult conquest, as attested to by their gigantic earthen platform mounds and extensive raised fields that could support a large population. After a tough battle between Tupaq Inka and the Quitos, the Inka prevailed but ongoing concerns led to the construction of the massive Inka military installation at Pambamarca, one of the largest and most complex military installations in the prehispanic New World. With nearby mitmakuna from Inka-controlled Cañar, the Quinchucajas fortresses would stand as a bulwark at the northeastern corner of the empire for years, perhaps until the rebellion of the local Cochasquí and Caranqui peoples brought Tupaq’s son Wayna Qhapaq back north to build more forts. After costly losses he at last prevailed, and fortunately, architectural differences between forts built by father and son offer an archaeological approach to understanding Inka strategies of conquest and acculturation within the framework of two different and distinctive imperial periods. Ultimately, while the historical context of the conquests varied, both emperors struggled despite their massive armies and sophisticated tactics.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Barbacoan World: Recognizing and Preserving the Unique Indigenous Cultural Developments of the Northern Andes   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38232.0