Monumental Manipulations: Varied Inka Colonial Tactics of Spiritual Embedment among Cara Ritual Centers of Northern 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.

Tawantinsuyu’s consolidation of northern Ecuador was characterized by unique moments of conquest, and reconquest, of the incredibly resistant Cara people. The principal Cara polities were the Cochasquí, Cayambe, Caranquí, Otavalo, and Quinche, each with monumental ritual centers, defined by massive earthen platform mounds. The Inka Empire was not only concerned with a physical subjugation of these centers, but also their spiritual conquest. The largest mound at Cochasquí was appropriated by the Inka and modified into a Cuzco-style structure. The Cara rebelled during Emperor Wayna Qhapaq’s rise to power. The first Cara polity to fall during the Inka reconquest was Cochasquí, which, though allegedly burned by Tawantinsuyu, was re-occupied thereafter. The entire population of Quinche was deported and replaced with mitmaqkuna, ethnic enclaves relocated from within the empire. An Inka Temple of the Sun was established there in the middle of local mounds. Alternatively, the site of Inka-Caranquí was not placed amongst an important monumental site but was a ground-up Cuzco-style endeavor. The Inka tactics of spiritual embedment were varied and disruptive to local identities. Unfortunately, the realities of preservation and insufficient government intervention have resulted in much of the architectural evidence being destroyed at these sites.

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): 37873.0