ABSTRACT
In bringing together the four corners of Tawantinsuyu, the Inca showed a great deal of flexibility. The hallmark of Andean prehistory is the knitting together of these different environmental and cultural landscapes, culminating in the Tawantinsuyu, “the four parts together,” of the Inca Empire. This chapter begins at the highland site of Chavin de Huantar, which provides evidence for interregional connections based on the spread of a religious cult rather than on the bureaucratic organization of a state. It moves on to consider the Nasca and Moche societies, which emerged along the river valleys of the southern and northern coast of Peru, respectively. The chapter considers the history and structure of the Inca Empire. The Inca Empire developed out of a long history of social complexity in the Andes. One of the most intriguing aspects of Inca society was the power exerted by deceased rulers.
