INKA LANDSCAPES IN THE CENTER-WEST OF CATAMARCA (ARGENTINA)

This paper focuses on Inca settlements and their relationship with local populations in the midwestern sector of Catamarca, Argentina, specifically in the Hualfin and Quimivil valleys. This area had an early agricultural-pastoral occupation, as seen in several archaeological sites, with local patterns distinguishable from Inca sites. When the Inca arrived during the first half of the fifteenth century, several preexisting elements of landscape were transformed and others were incorporated. Nevertheless, the local population, with an apparent absence of military conflict, seemed to maintain some elements of their identity in the landscape without major transformations. We explore the different modes implemented by the Inca to articulate the realities of local populations and landscapes as they incorporated new territories. These issues are explored based on evidence from the archaeological sites of El Shincal, Hualfin Inka, Los Colorados, Quillay, Villavil, and Villavil 2.