Ancient Cuzco: Heartland of the Inca

Ancient Cuzco: Heartland of the Inca . Brian S. Bauer. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2004. 255 pp.     

Inca expansion and parasitism in the lluta valley: preliminary data

Assessing the impact of cultural change on parasitism has been a central goal in archaeoparasitology. The influence of civilization and the development of empires on parasitism has not been evaluated. Presented here is a preliminary analysis of the change in human parasitism associated with the Inca conquest of the Lluta Valley in Northern Chile. Changes in parasite prevalence are described. It can be seen that the change in life imposed on the inhabitants of the Lluta Valley by the Incas caused an increase in parasitism.     

Plant motifs on Inca ceremonial vases from Peru*

Fourteen Families, 21 genera and 23 species have been described in this work, as motifs identified on the ancient wooden carved and painted vases known as keros. These date from the early colonial or transitional epoch between the pre-conquest Inca styles and those coming later with very strong Spanish influence. Although many of the well-known food, medicinal, ornamental and ritual plants are depicted, a large number of plants known to the Incas, both wild and cultivated, is absent. Certain motifs have been impossible to identify, but it is hoped that future studies may throw considerable light on the decorative and symbolic motifs in this interesting group of vases.     

Skeletal evidence for Inca warfare from the Cuzco region of Peru

This article addresses the bioarchaeological evidence for Inca warfare through an analysis of 454 adult skeletons from 11 sites in the Inca capital region of Cuzco, Peru. These 11 sites span almost 1000 years (AD 600-1532), which allows for a comparison of the evidence for warfare before the Inca came to power (Middle Horizon AD 600-1000), during the time of Inca ascendency in the Late Intermediate Period (AD 1000-1400), and after the Inca came to power and expanded throughout the Cuzco region and beyond (Inca Imperial Period, AD 1400-1532). The results indicate that 100 of 454 adults (22.0%) showed evidence of cranial trauma. Of these, 23 individuals had major cranial injuries suggestive of warfare, consisting of large, complete, and/or perimortem fractures. There was scant evidence for major injuries during the Middle Horizon (2.8%, 1/36) and Late Intermediate Period (2.5%, 5/199), suggesting that warfare was not prevalent in the Cuzco region before and during the Inca rise to power. Only in the Inca Imperial Period was there a significant rise in major injuries suggestive of warfare (7.8%, 17/219). Despite the significant increase in Inca times, the evidence for major cranial injuries was only sporadically distributed at Cuzco periphery sites and was entirely absent at Cuzco core sites. These findings suggest that while the Inca used warfare as a mechanism for expansion in the Cuzco region, it was only one part of a complex expansion strategy that included economic, political, and ideological means to gain and maintain control.