Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Mechanics of Empire and Integration -- the Role of Small-scale Inca Installations in the Colesuyo Region of Southern Peru

Field Museum Of Natural History, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

Under the direction of Dr. Patrick Ryan Williams, Sofia Chacaltana will explore how local economies were transformed under Inca imperial rule of the Colesuyo region in Southern Peru. Ms Chacaltana will excavate the coastal archaeological site of Tacahuay that has evidence of Inca architecture and appears to be an Inca way station (tambo). Tambos were installations systematically built along the main and secondary roads of the empire. She will also excavate in houses around the way station to see how the Inca presence affected the local population. Data gathered from this excavation will be compared with the Inca site of Camata Tambo, an Inca waystation and adjacent local peoples' houses located in the highlands of the Colesuyo territory. Excavations will focus on imperial central storage systems and nearby houses to better understand the political and economic interests of the empire in the region. Despite what is known about Inca imperial strategies of integration, little is understood about the way the empire impacted local communities and regional interactions. Ms Chacaltana will conduct small-scale excavations in the Tacahuay Inca storage structures, and in four houses from Tacahuay Pueblo to detect the types and quantities of products kept in these state-controlled and locally controlled spaces. This information will help to understand the way local consumption and local storing technologies changed from the pre-Inca to Inca period. In addition, this investigation contributes to understanding how imperial actions impact local interests, resources, and political and economic demands, a priority in today's global economy. Based on archaeological and historical data from Colesuyo, three models will be tested to observe the imperial impact in local communities of this region. Ms Chacaltana will analyze plant and animal remains as well as chemical composition of ceramic fragments to observe local and regional exchange of goods during the Inca period. Preliminary investigations conducted at Camata Tambo storehouses and nearby agricultural facilities - located in the upper Moquegua Valley - showed that these imperial storage systems kept goods from different ecological zones of Colesuyo and more distance regions. It also showed an intensification of maize production and a growing storage preference for potatoes. By focusing on storage patterns in two small-scale Inca installations (tambos), this project will observe imperial variability in two ecological settings of the Andes. Several lab methodologies and lines of data will be used to observe how imperial presence in a region is the dynamic result of both imperial and local interests. The broader impact of this research rests on the fact that it creates a multi-national research cooperation that will contribute to strengthen the relationships between US and Peruvian investigators. Ms Chacaltana works with the Contisuyo Program, an international archaeological research institution located in the city of Moquegua, of which she is an active member. The Contisuyo Program has a strong commitment to public outreach and local education. Finally, Ms Chacaltana will closely work with local governments to help create awareness of the importance of pre-Hispanic site management and cultural heritage.