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Inca Archaeology

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lightbulbAbout this topic
Inca Archaeology is the study of the material remains, cultural practices, and historical contexts of the Inca Empire, which flourished in South America from the early 15th to the late 16th century. This field encompasses the excavation, analysis, and interpretation of archaeological sites, artifacts, and structures associated with Inca civilization.
lightbulbAbout this topic
Inca Archaeology is the study of the material remains, cultural practices, and historical contexts of the Inca Empire, which flourished in South America from the early 15th to the late 16th century. This field encompasses the excavation, analysis, and interpretation of archaeological sites, artifacts, and structures associated with Inca civilization.

Key research themes

1. How did radiocarbon dating refine our understanding of the spatial and temporal patterns of Inca expansion in southern regions?

This research area aims to resolve the chronology and dynamics of the Inca Empire's expansion into southern territories, particularly Argentina, by critically analyzing radiocarbon dating evidence. Clarifying the timing and phased nature of territorial incorporation sheds light on imperial strategies and regional interactions during the 15th century, challenging prior ethnohistorical consensus of rapid and homogeneous expansion.

Key finding: Analyzing 178 radiocarbon dates from 76 archaeological sites in northwest and centerwest Argentina reveals that Inca expansion began in the early 15th century AD (~1400s) at northernmost Argentina and progressed in at least... Read more

2. What technological and methodological advances enable remote sensing to uncover subsurface Inca archaeological features in coastal and highland Peru?

This theme explores the implementation and evaluation of geophysical remote sensing techniques—including electrical resistivity, soil chemical assays, and other advanced geophysical methods—to detect buried Inca and pre-Inca structures in challenging Andean environments. Understanding the feasibility and efficacy of such methods enhances archaeological prospecting, contributes to non-invasive site assessments, and supports targeted excavations in major Inca cultural centers.

Key finding: This study reports on geophysical surveys at twelve historic, Inca, and pre-Inca sites using resistivity and soil chemical tests, revealing that seven sites exhibit strong electrolytic response suitable for in-depth remote... Read more

3. How do late pre-Hispanic Andean quarrying practices reflect technological traditions and political organization under shifting Inca and post-Inca conditions?

This research area investigates stone quarrying strategies in diverse southern Peruvian contexts to evaluate continuity and change in extraction technologies across Late Intermediate Period and Late Horizon occupations. It highlights the relationship between political centralization and construction labor organization, challenging simplified narratives of Inca quarrying as exclusively labor-intensive, centralized processes by examining both elite and vernacular production traditions.

Key finding: Survey data from 41 provincial and heartland quarry sites reveal that Inka building stone extraction techniques developed from broadly shared vernacular knowledge rather than being solely elite-driven or centralized. Both... Read more

4. In what ways do material culture and archaeological evidence elucidate ethnic identities and social differentiation in late precontact Andean mortuary practices?

This theme focuses on the morphological and functional diversity of tombs in central Andean regions, particularly the Sacred Valley, contextualizing differences as expressions of distinct religious traditions and social identities during the Late Intermediate and Inka periods. Challenging assumptions of cultural homogeneity, it emphasizes the role of mortuary variability in reflecting intersecting beliefs about life, death, and ancestor veneration.

Key finding: Analysis of 788 tombs from 30 Sacred Valley sites reveals six morphologically distinct tomb types with overlapping spatial patterns. These distinctions correlate with different ways of facilitating or limiting interaction... Read more

5. How did Inca imperial strategies involve the integration and adaptation of local ceramic production systems in provincial contexts?

This area interrogates the technological, social, and cultural mechanisms through which Inca-style pottery was produced outside the empire’s core, particularly focusing on whether local potters adopted new morphological and stylistic canons. By studying production chaînes opératoires and pottery assemblages, this research elucidates the degree of specialization, mobility, and community of practice restructuring involved in imperial ceramic manufacture.

Key finding: Archaeological and ethnographic analysis from Cañar province shows that expert local Cañari potters, including likely resettled mitmaqkuna specialists, produced Inca-style pottery by recombining their habitual techniques to... Read more

All papers in Inca Archaeology

Taking into consideration the socio-political history and politics of identity in Latin America, Indigenous peoples' current demands and the contemporary context of pressure on Indigenous territories from powerful groups who deny and... more
Inicialmente se determinaron veinte sectores (Meyers, 2015), aunque posteriormente se encontraron cinco nuevos sectores. De estos 25 sectores del sitio se excavaron 8. A continuación, presentaremos los trabajos en 2 de ellos el montículo... more
ADVERTENCIA:: ESTE ES EL TOMO 2. EL MISMO SE COMPONE DE LAS IMÁGENES REFERIDAS Y EL APÉNDICE DOCUMENTAL QUE ACOMPAÑAN AL TOMO 1. Resumen: Este trabajo aborda el problema de la interpretación de las imágenes plásticas prehispánicas del... more
This research book by Hira Ansari explores the forgotten connections between the Andes of Peru, Gog and Magog (Yajuj and Majuj), Zulqarnain’s western journeys, and ancient treasure maps preserved in global traditions. Drawing upon the... more
Una Muy Breve Historia de Bagua: "El Pueblo Dividido" es un texto divulgativo y apasionado que condensa con maestría la rica herencia prehispánica y colonial de las ciudades de Bagua y Bagua Grande, en el nororiente peruano. Escrito con... more
Th e events and implications of the Yale Peruvian Expeditions (YPE) are discussed through the information contained in publications, documents, fi eld diaries, graphic records and reports of the works executed during 1911 and 1912 in the... more
La planificación y orientación del monumento arqueológico Chachabamba nos brinda información respecto a su rol en la esfera de sitios del área de influencia directa de la <em>llaqta</em> de Machupicchu, Perú. A través de... more
ABSTRACTAccording to the classical chronology of the Inca State, the ascension to power of Pachacuti Inca took place around AD 1438 and the construction of Machu Picchu began by AD 1450–1460. However, the improvement in the accuracy of... more
Se discuten los eventos e implicancias de las Expediciones Peruanas de Yale (EPY) en base al procesamientode la información de las publicaciones, documentos, diarios de campo, registros gráficos e informes de laslabores efectuadas durante... more
Even if in the last decades the use of remote sensing technologies (from satellite, aerial and ground) for archaeology is stepping in its golden age, in Southern America, the geophysics for preventive archaeology is more recent and less... more
Lima La Vieja es un sitio arqueológico a punto de desaparecer. A pesar de que ha sido objeto de estudios arqueológicos e históricos a lo largo del siglo XX y de que su arquitectura y función lo destacan entre otros asentamientos incas, el... more
El estudio arqueológico se centra en la comunidad de Santo Domingo (Acopia, Acomayo, Cusco) durante el Periodo Intermedio Tardío (1000-1450 d.C.), analizando la distribución y emplazamiento de estructuras arquitectónicas. El objetivo... more
This paper will look at objects labelled ‘conopa’ in museums, art markets and auctions worldwide. It will ask how conopa have been viewed and characterised, by looking at the historical accounts which offer first insights of how they were... more
La nueva sala del Museo Pedro de Osma, Arte del Sur Andino, Tiahuanaco, Inca, Virreinal-Siglos V al XIX, reúne una importante selección de obras precolombinas –perteneciente a la Colección Lambarri de Cusco– de estas culturas surandinas,... more
Th is article is dedicated to a special category of structures that may be called “astronomical instruments”,  constructed in the Inca Empire (ca. 14-16 c. AD). As mentioned in some sources, these were intended for use by a small group of... more
Estrategias tecnológicas y patrones de interacción en la cuenca del río de Las Tunas (Valle de Uco... Intersecciones en Antropología 24(2), julio-diciembre. 2023.
El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo principal estudiar los cambios en la explotación de los camélidos durante las fases Mochica III y IV en el Conjunto Arquitectónico 35. Las investigaciones en el complejo arqueológico de la Huaca del... more
En octubre de 2018 se realizó el XI Simposio Internacional de Arte Rupestre en la ciudad de La Serena, Chile, evento que reunió investigadores de cinco países sudamericanos, México y España. En este artículo ofrecemos una evaluación... more
La presente tesis tiene como objetivo principal conocer las estrategias de aprovechamiento en camélidos en el sitio arqueológico de Minaspata durante los periodos Formativo (1500 a.C. - 200 d.C.) e Intermedio temprano (200 d.C. - 600... more
Los múltiples procesos socio -políticos y culturales desarrollados en el Noroeste argentino durante su devenir histórico, han sido abordados desde múltiples disciplinas, obteniendo valiosos avances en cada una de ellas. Sin embargo, con... more
We utilize GIS to analyze regional settlement survey data to understand the transition to agropastoral village life in the Cusco region of highland Peru during the Late Formative Period (600 BCE-200 CE) and long-term success of... more
Resumen Se analizan las prácticas textiles desde una perspectiva de género, explorando cómo los estereotipos y prejuicios han influido en las interpretaciones arqueológicas y en la construcción histórica de los roles productivos... more
Why were the feathers of birds such an essential artistic medium in the ancient Americas, more so than anywhere else in the world? Several publications of recent years have explored this question, especially in regard to Mesoamerica,... more
Resumen Hacia el año 1000 aP, en lo que se considera los inicios del periodo Tardío del Noroeste argentino, tuvieron lugar profundos cambios ambientales, productivos, socio-culturales y políticos. Las últimas décadas de investigaciones... more
Arte de tapa: Escultura cerámica Kukama Kukamiria, Bufeos del Amazonas. Guillermo Laiche. Padre Cocha, Distrito Punchana, Departamento Loreto, Perú. Colección y fotografía Ana Rocchietti. ANTI es una publicación anual del Centro de... more
The construction history of a site is partially preserved underground and can be revealed through archaeological investigations, including excavations, integrated with earth observation (EO) methods and technologies that make it possible... more
The work deals with 74 samples of cylindrical seals from the “Iranian Collection” preserved at the Glyptic Fund of the S. Janashia State Museum. Our study represents the first part of the catalogue. In this section, we provide a... more
Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto Palabras claves: ushnu -Imperio Inca -Chinchaysuyuastronomía -organización del espacio.
ARQUEOLIZÁNDONOS Las publicaciones que se realicen en la revista Arqueolizándonos no obedecen necesariamente a la línea de pensamiento e investigación de los autores ni a los proyectos, empresas o entidades educativas a las que pertenecen... more
Chaupiguaranga 1 . Se encuentra rodeado por afloramientos rocosos erosionados de naturaleza volcánica, que se elevan a una altura de 15 a 40 metros, los cuales generan un microclima que origina un ambiente cálido. Sus coordenadas UTM (WGS... more
Introducción a la arqueología e historia internodal. Las líneas del pasado en perspectiva Intersecciones en Antropología-Volumen especial. 2025.
Desde 1870, Argentina y Paraguay comenzaron a poblar la desembocadura del río Pilcomayo, territorio ocupado inicialmente por comunidades originarias. La Ley Avellaneda (1876) promovió concesiones de tierras, generando disputas entre... more
Do empires simply collapse, or do they remain embedded in the sociocultural imaginations of their subjects long after their mechanisms of control have dissolved? In recent years there has been a growing recognition among scholars of... more
Humans have engineered their environments throughout the Holocene, especially in the construction of hydraulic infrastructure. In many regions, however, this infrastructure is difficult to date, including the vestiges of water-management... more
This study examines mobility adaptations to a time of sociopolitical tumult in the ancient Andes. We examine 87 Sr/ 86 Sr variability in human burials (n = 21) dating to the Late Intermediate Period ("LIP," ca. 1100-1450 CE) in the Sihuas... more
Habitar el territorio tiene un conjunto de significados simbólicos y materiales de cómo se ocupa, vive y nos apropiamos culturalmente de nuestro territorio en distintas escalas, desde lo barrial y comunitario, hasta lo nacional y... more
relación entre jóvenes pobladores asesinados durante la dictadura militar y los habitantes del sector. Se argumenta que el vínculo entre vivos y muertos es un vínculo caminado y de caminantes, que ha adquirido su forma a partir del... more
The Richard and Mary Rouse History of the Book Lectures represent an annual scholarly series hosted at the University of California, Los Angeles, under the sponsorship of the Center for Early Global Studies (previously the Center for... more
Sol el día 19 de abril de 2004. Se mueve por un día con respecto al año 650 d.C .
Después del “I Congreso Internacional de Arquitectos y Técnicos de Monumentos Históricos”, celebrado en París en 1957, en el cual se retomaran las discusiones iniciadas en la Conferencia de Atenas para la Restauración de Edificaciones... more
Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto Archaeological ruins coexist with a beach landscape, agricultural land and the mountains of the Andes facing the ocean. The huaca is protected and... more
Desde el descubrimiento en enero del año 1985 de los restos de un niño en los faldeos oestes del Cerro Aconcagua, que fue depositado bajo el rito de capacocha (conocido popularmente como “momia del Aconcagua”), se han tejido diferentes... more
Among many cultural manifestations developed by the people who inhabited our Pre Hispanic America, we find the Incas who stopped their conqueror step and set their eyes on Catarpe, which is an extended meseta (plateau), at the Chilean... more
Among many cultural manifestations developed by the people who inhabited our Pre Hispanic America, we find the Incas who stopped their conqueror step and set their eyes on Catarpe, which is an extended meseta (plateau), at the Chilean... more
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