Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Inca Conquest in the Colca Valley

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

Ms. Miriam Doutriaux's doctoral dissertation project will investigate the Inca occupation of the Collagua province, located in modern-day southern Peru. The variability of Inca rule is a theme that has long fascinated Andean scholars. After conquest, the Inca state generally sought to effect a balance between its own economic and political ambitions and the sociocultural and environmental conditions of different regions. In each case, the political and economic aspects of imperial rule were mutually dependent and closely intertwined, but not inextricably so. Indeed, similar economic interests or conditions could be accommodated with different political configurations to ensure the smooth operation of many different Inca provinces. Under the direction of Dr. Christine Hastorf, Ms. Doutriaux will compare two areas of the Collagua province located at different altitudes and inhabited by distinct cultural groups, to understand the way in which Inca political dynamics were articulated with economic strategies in the valley, and how both were tailored to preexisting social and political arrangements in this province. Historical documents reveal that the Collagua province was inhabited by two distinct "ethnic" groups, the Collaguas and the Cabanas, apparently since pre-Inca times. The Collaguas were Aymara speakers with a pastoral orientation, while the Quechua-speaking Cabanas focused on agriculture. According to historical accounts, the Collaguas established good relations with the conquering Incas, thereby securing their political dominance over the rest of the valley until Spanish colonial times. On the other hand, archaeological studies of the valley's economy suggest that Inca influence was greater in the Cabana area of the province, possibly as a result of the warmer climate and better agricultural conditions. Until now, the different focus of archaeological and historical studies has impeded a full consideration of the variable nature and impact of Inca strategies in the province as a whole. As part of her dissertation work, Ms. Doutriaux will do an archaeological survey of 25 sq. km. around the historical capital of the Cabanas. She will analyze the settlement pattern, site organization, architectural canons, ceramic styles and artifact distributions to characterize the nature of the pre-Inca and Inca occupation there. A comparison of this data with the results of an archaeological survey she recently completed around the Collagua capital will enable her to draw conclusions about the regional-scale dynamics of Inca imperialism. This research has the potential to shed light not only on Inca empire-building, but also on the resulting symbiotic relationship between differently empowered self-interested groups in the imperial context. It also contributes a much-needed scholarly focus on the south-central Andes, home to the Andes' two main culturo-linguistic traditions. The Colca Valley's unique combination of these Aymara and Quechua traditions in the heartland of a single province offers the possibility of new insights on the distribution of power and resources and the relationship between Aymara and Quechua groups in late prehistory. This project will serve a valuable infrastructural function through the training of a promising graduate student