Ancient Inca

Offers a detailed account of Inca history, society and culture through the lens of archaeology, written documents and ethnographic accounts of native Andeans.

Alan L. Kolata (Author)

9780521689380, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 8 April 2013

314 pages, 69 b/w illus. 10 maps 2 tables
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm, 0.52 kg

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?

1. Into the realm of the Four Quarters
2. Imperial narratives: sources and origins
3. The social order: kinship and class in the realm of the Four Quarters
4. The economic order: land, labor, and the social relations of production
5. The moral order: religion and spirituality among the Inca
6. The political order: kingship, statecraft, and administration in the realm of the Four Quarters
7. The destruction of the Inca.

Subject Areas: Prehistoric archaeology [HDDA], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA], History of the Americas [HBJK]