in the Cuzco region, and for identifying an Inca presence that substantially
predates the expected conquest date found in the chronicles.
Inca expansion beyond the Cuzco valley began a century or more before the
first imperial campaigns outside the Cuzco region (see Archaeology, Cuzco).
Documentary accounts describe three or four generations of local expansion,
which included alliance building and periodic warfare (see Conquests). Between
AD 1200 and 1400, the Incas began to dominate small villages located to the
north and south of the Cuzco valley, and they intensified raids against more
powerful rivals, conquering them permanently by around 1400. By 1400, Inca
rulers shifted their attention to dominating local leaders living farther afield,
including groups speaking other languages. Very little archaeological work has
been done in the area just beyond the Cuzco region, and it is possible that
archaeological dates from the upper Vilcanota valley or the Abancay region will
reveal Inca incursions prior to AD 1400.
Likewise, the accumulation of radiocarbon dates in some provincial sites has
led some researchers to propose that the Inca conquest of some areas may have
occurred a generation or two earlier than indicated by Rowe’s conquest maps.
Several dozen radiocarbon dates from the southern periphery of the empire have
led researchers to suggest that the Incas carried out some sort of contact or
conquest early in the fifteenth century, rather than around 1470–1480. As dates
and data accumulate, archaeologists will continue to scrutinize dates that seem
too early, and to remain appropriately critical about what the dates mean. The
early presence of Inca-style pottery, for example, does not necessarily indicate
imperial conquest.
One distinct problem with the current map of Inca expansion chronology is
that it does not adequately reflect the reality of Inca conquest and rule. Territorial
annexation did not always occur as a single event, and some parts of the Andes
were too marginal to encourage any sort of imperial attention. In areas targeted
for conquest, Inca armies sometimes simply raided local populations or created
alliances or some degree of indirect rule, only establishing formal administrative
infrastructure when these relations deteriorated. Rebellions were common in
many regions and required heavy military investments to reestablish imperial
dominion. As researchers continue to study Inca expansion, more attention is
sure to focus on setbacks to imperial rule and on places across the Andes where
Inca power never reached.
Further Reading