The Incas and Their Ancestors: The Archaeology of Peru (Revised Edition)

by Moseley, Michael E.

• ISBN13: 9780500282779
• ISBN10: 0500282773
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-06-17
• Publisher: INGRAM

Summary

But this glittering culture only obscured the rich and diverse civilizations that had preceded it: Chavin, Moche, Nazca, Tiwanaku, Huari, and Chimu. Described as a "masterly study" and an "outstanding volume" on its first publication, The Incas and Their Ancestors quickly established itself as the best general introduction to the cultures and civilizations of ancient Peru. Now this classic text has been fully updated for the revised edition. New discoveries over the last decade are integrated throughout. The occupation of Peru's desert coast can now be traced back to 12,000 BC and ensuing maritime adaptations are examined in early littoral societies that mummified their dead and others that were mound builders. The spread of Andean agriculture is related to fresh data on climate, and protracted drought is identified as a recurrent contributor to the rise and fall of civilizations in the Cordillera. The results of recent excavations enliven understanding of coastal Moche and Nazca societies and the ancient highland states of Huari and Tiwanaku. Architectural models accompanying burials provide fresh interpretations of the palaces of imperial Chan Chan, while the origins of the Incas are given new clarity by a spate of modern research on America's largest native empire.

Author Biography

Michael E. Moseley is Director of the Institute of Archaeology and Paleo-environmental Studies at the University of Florida. He has conducted extensive fieldwork on the pre-Columbian sites of Peru and is the author of many books and studies on the subject

Table of Contents

Introduction	7	(18)
The Incas	9	(2)
The conquest	11	(1)
The historical record	12	(5)
The archaeological record	17	(8)
Land of the Four Quarters	25	(26)
The Cordillera	25	(7)
Geography of the Four Quarters	32	(11)
Making a living	43	(8)
The Inca Model of Statecraft	51	(36)
The cosmos	51	(2)
The ayllu	53	(17)
Statecraft	70	(17)
Colonization of the Cordillera	87	(20)
The colonization process	87	(5)
Adaptive dispersal	92	(10)
Domestication	102	(5)
The Preceramic Foundations of Civilization	107	(24)
Preceramic economies	107	(7)
Social formations	114	(1)
Arts	115	(2)
Monumental architecture	117	(14)
The Initial Period and Early Horizon	131	(42)
Irrigation agriculture	133	(3)
Monumental architecture	136	(7)
Highland developments	143	(11)
The Titicaca Basin	154	(4)
The Early Horizon	158	(1)
The southern sphere	158	(5)
Chavin and the northern sphere	163	(10)
The Early Intermediate Period	173	(50)
North coast	174	(22)
The central and south coasts	196	(7)
The sierra	203	(5)
The altiplano	208	(15)
The Middle Horizon	223	(22)
Moche upheaval	223	(7)
Huari adaptive dispersal	230	(8)
Tiwanaku	238	(7)
The Late Intermediate Period	245	(31)
The Titicaca region	245	(2)
The southern sierra	247	(10)
The central and northern sierra	257	(1)
The central and south coasts	258	(3)
Chimor and the north	261	(15)
Epilogue	276	(2)
Sources of Illustrations	278	(1)
General Bibliography	279	(1)
Archaeological Bibliography	280	(4)
Index	284