Ancient Inca

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?


About the Author
Kolata, Alan L.: - Alan L. Kolata is Neukom Family Distinguished Service Professor of Anthropology and of the Social Sciences at the University of Chicago. Since 1978 he has led ongoing interdisciplinary research projects studying human-environment interactions in the Lake Titicaca basin of Bolivia, on the north coast of Peru and most recently in Cambodia. He has received multiple large-scale research grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Inter-American Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, among others. His books include a major two-volume research monograph entitled Tiwanaku and Its Hinterland: Archaeology and Paleoecology of an Andean Civilization and Valley of the Spirits: A Journey into the Lost Realm of the Aymara. At the University of Chicago, he has served as Chair of the Department of Anthropology, Director of the Center for Latin American Studies and Academic Director of the University of Chicago Center in Paris. His professional awards include the Manuel Vicente Ballivián Foundation Gold Medal for distinguished service to Bolivian science, presented in conjunction with the National Academy of Sciences of Bolivia and the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Government of Bolivia; the Puma de Oro, the maximum distinction conferred by the Bolivian National Institute of Archaeology; and the Simon Bolivar Foundation Distinguished Service Award.