ABSTRACT
Andean civilization arose along Peru’s arid coast between 2000 and 900 BC. Social and political complexity developed out of fishing and agriculture, with major ceremonial centers located in river valleys, also at Chavín de Huantar in the Andes foothills. Complex kingdoms also arose in the Lake Titicaca region of the highlands. During the first millennium AD, the Moche state ruled over several river valleys, known from spectacular centers and burials of warrior priests. As the Moche state gradually collapsed, partly in the face of strong El Niños, a major center at Tiwanaku near Lake Titicaca and the nearby Wari state traded with highlands and lowlands. As the Chimu state, the successor to the Moche, dominated the coast, the Inca conquered their neighbors in the highlands and expanded their empire, Tawantinsuyu, “The Land of the Four Quarters,” to the coast. Also a tribute empire and riven by factionalism, the Inca state collapsed in the face of Francisco Pizarro’s conquistadors in 1432.
