Living under the imperial thumb: The case of the Northern Calchaqui Valley (Argentina)

FÉLIX A. ACUTO

Marginal Provinces in the Inca Empire: Toward a Better Understanding of Inka Imperialism

University of Iowa Press

Lugar: Iowa, EEUU; Año: 2006;

For a number of reasons, studies of ‘marginal’ regions of the Inka empire, such as the Southern Andes, have emphasized the economic and political aspects of Inka domination, disregarding the way this new social context affected and transformed the cultural and social life of the colonized. In this chapter, I attempt an alternative perspective, demonstrating that the Inkas, intentionally and unintentionally, influenced actions, cultural practices, and social categories of those who inhabited in the Northern Calchaquí Valley, Argentina. I show that Tawantinsuyu promoted in this region, usually considered peripheral, the creation of a hitherto non-existent agent; consequently, changing how Northern-Calchaquíes perceived and understood agency. In addition, subjects’ reactions to Inka domination are examined. In this case, I explore the way local people and communities faced and engaged with Inka domination, either resisting or taking advantage of it.