This book offers a detailed account of Inca history, society, and culture through the lens of archaeology, written documents, and ethnographic accounts of native Andeans. Throughout the Andes, public
The book presents, for the first time, a rich body of empirical data on the chronology of the Tiwanaku state; the nature of the social and political relationships between the city and its hinterland;
This book offers a detailed account of Inca history, society and culture through the lens of archaeology, written documents and ethnographic accounts of native Andeans. Throughout the Andes, public works ordained by the emperors of the Incas dominate and transform the natural landscape. Cities, temples and fortresses of stone, marvelously engineered roads cut through sheer mountain slopes, massive agricultural terraces and hydraulic works are emblematic of Inca power. In this book, Alan L. Kolata examines how these awesome material products came into being. What were the cultural institutions that gave impetus to the Incas' imperial ambition? What form of power did the Incas exercise over their conquered provinces, far from the imperial capital of Cuzco? How did they mobilize the staggering labor force that sustained their war machine and built their empire? What kind of perceptions and religious beliefs informed Inca worldview?
Serving as a touchstone for a much-needed research program on social scales, this volume challenges disciplinary boundaries and brings into focus a paradoxical state of affairs in contemporary thought
