Excavations at Las Huacas (AD 1200-1650): Exploring Elite Strategies and Economic Exchange During the Inca Empire

Abstract

The complex and dynamic strategies of ancient states and empires have been documented throughout the world. The Inca Empire of Peru created a massive empire that extended from central Chile in the south to Colombia in the north. Within this empire, known as Tawantinsuyu, the coastal Chincha polity occupied a position of prestige because they oversaw long-distance trade for the prized Spondylus shell. Previous research in the Chincha Valley found evidence for a kind of “joint rule” shared by the Inca and the Chincha at the coastal capital of La Centinela, but the effect of Inca expansion on the rest of the valley remained understudied. This dissertation presents data from the site of Las Huacas, a large secondary center in the alluvial plains of the middle Chincha Valley. The Proyecto de Investigación Arqueológica Las Huacas (PIALH) conducted excavations throughout Complex N1, which was occupied from AD 1200-1650. Excavations of Complex N1 found a wealth of data that contributes important insights into the Chincha Valley material culture, mortuary practices, and the effects of Inca expansion. Excavations recovered largely undisturbed mortuary features that contain evidence for a multi-stage burial process and secondary mortuary rituals. Furthermore, research demonstrated that the complex was remodeled and transformed during the Late Horizon (AD 1400-1534) and, possibly, Colonial Period (AD1534-1821). Room A2 of Complex N1 started out as an open space at the base of a platform, it was then turned into a craft production area, then a space used to corral camelids, and finally the location of elite burials. xxvii Broadly the transformation in architecture and activities show a shift from more inclusionary to exclusionary strategies that are likely associated with the rise of a more bureaucratic political system. Excavations at Las Huacas recovered a substantial number of balanzas (similar to Roman scales). These artifacts could possibly have been used by the Chincha merchants or artisans described in the ethnohistoric record. They could also have been tied to a nascent market economy. Research has generally regarded the Inca as a redistributive state, but as the Chincha were likely conducting trade in the northern sector of the Inca Empire in Ecuador, the presence of the balanzas at Las Huacas begs a deeper analysis of these artifacts and their relationship to systems of exchange. The data from Las Huacas show the far-ranging implications of Inca expansion at an important secondary center. These effects were influenced by both local and imperial tactics. Las Huacas, while showing similarities to other sites in the valley, such as La Centinela, Tambo de Mora, and Lo Demás, presents a unique footprint of Inca expansion. This is similar to other coastal regions, such as the Lurín Valley, where Inca tactics vary across space and time.