Space, Place and Inka Domination in Northwest Argentina

GIFFORD, CHAD; ACUTO, F.A.

Experimental Archaeology: Replicating Past Objects, Behaviors, and Processes

Archaeopress Publishers of British Archaeological Reports

Lugar: Oxford; Año: 2002; p. 95 - 110

The addition of space and place in theory making has enriched archaeological explanations about social life as more connections are made between the built environment and basic social practices. In particular, architecture and the places it defines are no longer conceived of as arenas where social life unfolds, but as active elements in the production and reproduction of human societies. In this chapter, Gifford and Acuto look at how the ancient Inkas manipulated landscape in their attempts to gain power and produce inequalities in the Calchaquí Valley of Northwest Argentina. Using computer-aided design software to reproduce models of Inka architecture in the valley, they experiment with the idea that the Inkas framed the gazes people would have had of the area surrounding an Inka installation as a way to affect their sensory experiences. Ultimately, this deliberate and symbolically minded scheme was used by the Inkas to justify their attempts to dominate native societies.