Dating and context of Prehispanic anthropogenic wetlands in the Upper Ica Drainage, South-Central Andes, Peru

LANE, KEVIN JOHN; BERESFORD-JONES, DAVID G.; LUIS COLL; ERIK MARSH; SCAIFE, ROB; GRECO, CATRIEL; HUAMAN OROS, OLIVER; HERRERA, ALEXANDER; GRANT, JENNIFER; FRENCH, CHARLES A. I.

ANTIQUITY

Cambridge University Press

Lugar: Cambridge; Año: 2022 vol. 96

0003-598X

Ancient hydraulic infrastructure provides important insights into human use of landscape, yet they are notoriously difficult to date. The Andean highlands are replete with the vestiges of Prehispanic water management systems. Focusing on silt reservoirs from the upper Ica Drainage, we posit that they date to the Inca Period (AD 1400?1532). Regional settlement and land-use data shows long-term community-based building of productive architecture, while also indicating that the arrival of the Inca precipitated further, focussed investment in hydraulic infrastructure to support imperial ventures. We suggest that this was a common imperial strategy across other areas of the empire.