Recognising imperial strategies for conquered territories: a case study from the Inka North Calchaquí Valley

ACUTO, FÉLIX; TRONCOSO, ANDRÉS; FERRARI, ALEJANDRO A.

ANTIQUITY

Department of Archaeology, University of York

Lugar: York; Año: 2012 vol. 86 p. 1141 - 1154

0003-598X

One intriguing question in the study of early empires is how they controlled their subjects and maintained their domination (see Alcock et al. 2001). This article explores methods of colonisation and legitimacy, using the Inka empire as the object of study. Due allowance is made for the fact that the Inka empire or Tawantinsuyu was the outcome of a particular historical and socio-cultural trajectory and geographical context and, therefore, the nature of its power strategies and methods of domination differed from other ancient or modernforms of imperialism. But we believe that the particularities of a case are sometimes more interesting than their generalities since they allow us to appreciate the diverse ways in which societies order and understand the world. In particular, we examine the mechanism of Inka rule over the North Calchaquí Valley, showing that the strategic use of architecture and the manipulation of pathways and views within Inka places were key aspects of Tawantinsuyu?s domination in the region.