Territories, boundaries and communities in the Central West of Argentina (XV and XVI centuries): Archaeological research on relationships between local groups and Incas in South-eastern Collasuyo.

PABLO A. CAHIZA; J. ROBERTO BÁRCENA; MARÍA JOSÉ OTS; JORGE GARCÍA LLORCA

Sacramento, California

Congreso; 76th Annual Meeting. Society for American Archaeology; 2011

Society for American Archaeology

The expansion of the Inca state included vast areas south of Cuzco integrating the current Argentine provinces of La Rioja, San Juan and Mendoza. Our research focuses on the processes that formed and maintained the border line with the Inca state in Collasuyo, taking an approach that emphasizes settlement and land-use patterns to understand local communities, Inca landscapes, and their transformations. We also analyzed pottery´s production and distribution in state context. Our project takes a dual perspective that study the empire and its expansion, as well as the dynamics and responses to the empire within local communities.