A City Fit for an Inka

Author(s): Craig Morris

Source: Archaeology, Vol. 41, No. 5 (September/October 1988), pp. 43-49
Published by: Archaeological Institute of America
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A CITY FIT FOR AN INKA

Ritual battles and sumptuous feasts were the order

of the day at Huánuco Pampa, a vast ceremonial

city whose rites and celebrations helped unite

a far-flung empire.

by Craig Morris

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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Inka complexes.The foundations of
morethan3,500structures can stillbe
observedat the site,whichcoversan
area ofaboutone square mile.There
was, apparently,substantialarchitec-
turaldiversity,
anda planthatadhered
to a preconceivedoveralldesign.
But what kind of city was it?
Sixteenth-century Spanish accounts
leave no doubtthatHuánuco Pampa
functionedprimarilyas a provincialad-
ministrative
cityresponsible fora large
sectionofthecentralpartofTawantin-
suyu (the name for the fourunited
partsof the Inka empire).Details of
44 Archaeology
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howthe citycame intobeingand the Inkastatecraft andeconomics,as well
extentofitscontrolandinfluenceover as howandwhytheircitiesfunctioned.
the region,however,were neverre- Most early Spanish observers
cordedand mustbe gleanedfromthe tendedto viewwhatlittletheysaw of
record.
archaeological theupper,urbanlevelsofInkasociety
To thatend, an excavationproject thatsurvivedtheconquestintermsof
was undertaken to mapthesiteandto European patternswith whichthey
studymorethan300 of its buildings. were familiar.They emphasizedthe
Analysisof the architectural
informa- wealthof the cities,theiruse by the
tion along with many thousandsof Inkaarmiesandtheapparentpowerof
sherds, animalbones and other re- the rulerswho livedin them.But the
mainsis nowyieldinganswersto ques- Spanishhad almostno opportunity to
tionsaboutHuánucoPampa'sidentity. observeofficial and ceremoniallifeat
The answersare notsimple,butthey theurbanlevel,sincetheyhadessen-
do giveus newinsight
intothenatureof tiallydestroyed
it.So thehistorical
evi-
 A gatewayoffine
Inka masonry(left)
linkedthegreat
centralplaza with
twosmallerplaza
areas whereevidence
ofgreatfeastingwas
recovered.A
panoramicviewof
thecity(below)was
takenfromthe
hillsidestorage-
housearea southof
thesite. Map ofthe
Inka empirelocates
Huánuco Pampa
alonga vastnetwork
ofroads.

dence remainssketchy. mousnumbersofInkastorehousesand wereused.

Because HuánucoPampawas aban-
doned so abruptly,it offerstodaya
environ-
ratherpristinearchaeological
ment.Ourstudiesprovide,forthefirst
time,a contextin whichsome of the
featuresthatseemed unusualto the
Spanish-massive warehousingand
thepresenceofsequesteredwomenin
the service of the Inka- suddenly
makesense.
In fact,warehousingwas one ofthe
firstaspects ofHuánucoPampato at-
tract our attention.The sixteenth-
centurywrittensources noted enor-
theircontentsoffinetextiles,armsand
every kind of foodstuff. They also
pointed out that were
storagebuildings
typicallylocated in long rows above
Inkasettlements. This observational-
lowedus to identifysuchfacilities
even
beforetheywereexcavated. AtHuánuco
Pampa,we measuredall 497 ofthem
forvolumecapacity.Wealso excavated
a sample of the storehouses,called
qollqa in the languageof the Inka,to
determine thespecificuses oftheindi-
vidualwarehousesand to see ifthere
were overallpatternsin the waythey
The excavation suggestedthatmost
ofthewarehouseswereprobably used
forfoodstorage.Some foods,particu-
larly maize and potatoes or other
tubers,were stored separately.The
maizewas usuallyassociatedwithpot-
teryand was actuallyfoundstoredin
pots in a few cases. Tubers,on the
otherhand,werestoredbetweencare-
fullyarrangedlayersofstraw.
Initiallywe thoughtthat Huánuco
Pampamighthavebeena warehousing
centerforgoods distributed to towns
and villagesin the surroundingcoun-

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tryside.Butarchaeological surveyand
limited intheregionyielded
excavations
littletrace of potteryfromHuánuco
Pampaanditsstorehouses.Pottery, of
course,is onlyan indication ofcertain
kindsof relationships betweensites,
andfoodsor othergoodsmaynothave
been movedintheheavycontainers in
whichtheywere sometimesstored.
We are fortunatethat the Spanish
crownordereda detailedinspectionof
the Huánucoregionin 1562 whichin-
cludedextensiveinterviewswiththe
people ofthe area. Whilethe inspec-
tionrecordedhundredsofaccountsof
people carryinggoods to the ware-
housesat HuánucoPampa,itdoes not
mention disbursements ofgoodsforlo-
cal communities or people. Whileit is
highlylikelythata wide rangeof the
populace received luxuryproducts
fromtheInka,ourimpression is thatin
termsoffoodandotheressentialsthe
local communities remainedbasically
As we exploredthecity
self-sufficient.
more thoroughly, the purpose of the
warehousesbecameincreasingly clear.
They were simplyintendedto supply
thecityitself,to secureitscontinuous
functioning comedroughts, floods,po-
or whatever.
liticalinstability,
Writtensources indicatethat the
greatbulkof suppliesforInka state
46 Archaeology
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operationswas obtainedthrough trib-
uteintheformoflabortotillthelandof
the state, carry the produce to its
warehouses,buildits cities and for-
tresses, and provideother services.
This systemof"labortax"was appar-
entlybased onanancientsystem,com-
moninotherpartsoftheworldas well,
wherebyworkwas providedto leaders
who in turnwere responsibleforsup-
plying theworkerswith,andproviding
thegoodsandorganization for,thecer-
emonies that entertainedthe group
and encouragedits solidarity.
Whatsurprisedus was theextentto
which the ceremoniallife pervaded
boththedesignofHuánucoPampaand
its activities.Obviouslythere was a
aspectto thesite.It lies on a
logistical
majorroad and supportedthe travel
thatconnectedone partoftheempire
withtheothers.Butmainly itseems to
havebeenconcernedwithceremony. It
was a ceremonialcenter,and as such
its populationfluctuated.
Most people
visitedthecityonlyforshortperiods;
the numberof people presentvaried
accordingto the ceremonialand agri-
culturalcalendars. Certain times of
theyearwouldhavebeen urbantimes
when substantialnumbersof people
couldbe awayfromtheirworkin the
countryside. Atothertimesthepopu-
 An excavator workson theremains
ofa houseat HuánucoPampa. A
siteplan (belowleft)showshowthe
ancientcitywas dividedintosectors.

by the Inka armyand maywell have

beenleftbytraveling soldiers.Perhaps
the most convincingargumentfor
ritualbattlesat HuánucoPampais the
space itself.A preferred localeforsuch
eventswas large,flatopenareasknown
as "pampas,"and the extensiveplaza
(in part artificiallyleveled) certainly
qualifiesas sucha space. This central
plaza is cut across diagonally by the
mainInkaroadandis flanked bythe12
majordivisionsof the city-divisions
thatmayreflectinsome sense theso-
cial and politicaldivisionsthe city
administered.
Twosmalleropenspaces to theeast
of the mainplaza were repletewith
remainsthatsuggestthe preparation
and servingof foodon a largescale.
There is littledoubtthatthis sector
was used forfeasting, andthatchicha,
ormaizebeer,was animportant partof
thatfeasting.Formalstone gateways
flanked bysculptured pumasmarkthe
entrancesand exits to these smaller
plazas.East ofoneis anelaboratecom-
poundofdressedstonearchitecture, a
building type often used forresidential
purposes.If such was its function, it
lationin the citywouldhave dropped participants inritesandceremonies. wouldhavebeenthefinesthouseinthe
substantiallyas peopleattendedtocul- The largeopenspace mayhavebeen city-used eitherby the local "gover-
tivationand to otheraspects oflifein used forritualbattles.In suchbattles, nor"orreservedfortheInkarulerhim-
townsandvillages. possiblyconductedas roughgames selfontherareoccasionswhenhe was
Wewillneverknowtheexactnature witha touchofbloodshed,different so- in the city.The directconnectionbe-
of the ceremoniesthattook place at cialgroupssettleddisputesandestab- tween this importantresidenceand
HuánucoPampa.Wecan,however, ar- lishedor confirmed theirranksin the theplazaareas ofpublicfeasting is im-
riveatsomeapproximation ofthekinds largersocial order.Loss oflifesome- portant.It indicatesthe role of"royal
and sizes of spaces allocatedto cere- times occurred,but massive killing hospitality," of feastsand ceremonies
monyand ritual.We can also suggest was nottheintent.Suchbattleswerea offeredby the ruler,in assuringthe
some ofthe generalpatternofactivi- ritualized wayofresolvingconflict and participation andloyalty ofhissubjects.
tiesinthemandspeculateonhowthese adjusting sociopoliticalimbalances.My The specificsofthesefeastsandcer-
mayrelatetohistoricallyorethnographi-guess is thattheInkaset up a system emoniesare hardto come by.At one
callyknownritesandceremonies. in centers such as Huánuco Pampa pointin our excavations, however, we
The mainceremonial spaces are the whereby the conflictand competition were fortunate todiscover some pieces
three plaza areas located along the inritualized battlescouldbe controlled of antler.For a momentwe assumed
east-westaxis of the city,beginning by the state and to a certainextent theyweretheremainsofdeerthathad
withthemain,centralplaza, whichis literally overseenbyInkaofficials from been butcheredand consumed.Then
abouta thirdofa milelong.The plat- thelargeplatform in thecenterofthe we remembered a drawing bythesev-
formin the centeris one ofthe most greatplaza. enteenth-century AndeanwriterFilipe
perfectlyrectangularmonumental struc- There is of course no writtenevi- GuarnanPoma. In a longletterto the
turesintheAmericas.It has a seriesof dence thatritualbattleswere an im- KingofSpain,Pomahadprovided an il-
recesses builtintoitsbalustradesthat portantactivityat Huánuco Pampa, lustration ofan Inkaceremony inwhich
may have been seats or observation andthearchaeological evidenceis min- participantscarried musical instru-
boxes.The buildings thatsurround the imalindeed.Severalsmoothspherical mentswithpieces ofantlerattachedto
hugeplazacontainevidenceofcooking stonesofthesorttheInkaused intheir them.The drawing referred to a cere-
and eating.Some were used as tem- slingswerefoundinthebuildings sur- monyin the regionof Chinchaysuyu,
porary housing for people passing roundingthe plazas. While theyare the part of the Inka realmto which
through the city,whetheras itinerant knowntohavebeenanelementinritual HuánucoPampabelonged.
travelers on theirwayelsewhereor as battles,theywere also weaponsused Whilethearchaeological recordsug-

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 Thefieldcrewat
HuánucoPampa
posesfora group
photograph.
Meanwhile , in
thehighplateau
regionofthe
Andes, a herdof
llamasparades
by.Theanimals
no longerinhabit
theHuánuco
region, wherein
Inka timesthey
wereingreat
demandas beasts
ofburden.

gests thatmost housingat Huánuco

Pampawas set up on a temporary or
rotatingbasis, some structuresindi-
cate a morecontinuoususe. Most of
these buildingsoccur in compounds
enclosedby walls,and theyprobably
housed the permanentpopulation,
thosewhoprovidedessentialservices
likethebrewing ofbeer andtheweav-
ingofcloth.
One compoundthatwas especially
interestingcontained 50 relatively
largehouses enclosedby a wall,with
dwellingsfor gatekeepers,indicating
anunusuallevelofcontrol andsecurity.
My suspicionis thatithouseda group
ofchastewomen,calledaklla, whoare
reportedto have performed religious
duties,butwho also engagedin spin-
ningand weavingforthe Inka. The
numbersof women this compound
must have housed, apparentlyon a
permanentbasis, and the extentof
tools and equipmentfor theirwork
suggestthatthiswas animportant pro-
ductionfacilityfor the goods that
generousandpopularleaderswereex-
pectedto providetheirsubjects.

firstwentto HuánucoPampa
We withan imageof palaces, ware-
houses,armies,andworkshops.It was
an imagederivedfromreadingCieza
and othersixteenth-century sources,
alongwithour inevitableimpressions
of dozens of othercities,ancientand

48 Archaeology

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modem,thatwe haveseen, livedinor chaeologicalrecordat HuánucoPampa itinerant visitors,a richpublicandpri-
readabout.Exceptpossiblyforthear- is less itsparticular buildings or activi- vateceremonial life.It was theseat of
mies, our image was not farwrong. ties thanhowthe variouspartsfitto- localcontrolbytheeliteofthesociety
The warehousesandworkshopswere gether.Partofthatimpression comes and it housed a varietyof people of
there,as were the remainsof what fromthe site plan itself.Whilethere differentsocial classes and ethnic
mustcertainly havebeen royalaccom- are hundreds ofrathercasuallylocated backgrounds.
modations.What was incorrectwas structures,the overallplan shows a On the otherhand,it appearsin no
our originalfocuson the politicaland patternof divisionintosectors. The sense to havebeen a marketandcom-
economicaspectsofthesite.Huánuco sectorsseem tobe orderedintermsof mercialcenter.Perhapsitsfundamen-
Pampa was indeed an administrativeprinciples thatare also reflected inthe talcharacteristic- anddifference from
city,butwe hadn'tunderstood theway organization of the holysites around most cities-is suggestedby Cieza
thisfunction was carriedout. That a Cuzco,thecalendarandeventhecon- himselfwhenhe says "30,000people
richceremoniallifewas its reasonfor ceptionof the empireitself.The evi- servedit."He does notclaim,nordoes
beingshouldperhapsnothavecomeas dence ofco-ordination and orderseen thearchaeological recordindicate, that
a surprise.Of the feasting,Cieza had intheplanis reinforced bytheintegra- 30,000peopleactuallylivedthere.But
written:"Andso, makingthe people tion of activities.The productionof thecitywas probably a partoftheregu-
and
joyful giving their solemn banquets beer,the weaving, and the large stor- larcycleandstyle of lifefor30,000peo-
and drinking feasts. . . and othercele- age facilities
are all tiedto supporting ple.The moving backandforth between
brationssuchas theyuse, completely thecity'sceremonialfunctions andre- cityandcountryside wasprobably regu-
differentfromours,inwhichtheInkas lated royalobligationsto the people latedbya calendarthatfixedthedates
showtheirsplendor,and all thefeast- wholivedinor visitedit. for agriculturalactivitiesas well as
ing is at theirexpense, where there Do we calllarge,densely-built sites forthe eventsin the city.It was the
were vessels of silverand gold, and likethiscities?Certainlysome ofthe ceremoniesin the city,however,that
gobletsandotherthings..." functionsarethere:administration and made the calendarworkand keptthe
Perhaps the most vivid I
impression political control, manufacture (though variousdiversepartsofa complexem-
amleftwithaftera longstudyofthear- in a special sense), the servicingof piretogether.□

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