The prehistory of Peru is characterized by an alternation between large, regionally expansive empires and periods of smaller, local polities. In the last of these great empires, the Inca expanded to cover both Peruvian highlands and lowlands and consolidated a number of regional groups under a single unified rule. Ms. Frances Hayashida, guided by Dr. Jeffrey Parsons, will study the process by which this incorporation took place. The results will provide the basis for her doctoral dissertation. Her research will focus on two rival polities, Jayanca and Tucume, both of which eventually came under Inca control. In prior research, Ms. Hayashida has located five Inca period sites distributed between these two polities. She will return to these, map standing ruins to determine the degree of Inca architectural influence, collect surface ceramics, and then conduct limited excavations. With these data she will be able to determine differential response to the Inca. This research is designed to increase understanding of how empires expand and control conquered regions. Anthropologists have postulated that in an effort to consolidate their holdings, empires promote particular polities as local administrators at the expense of rival polities. These favored polities accept their relationship with the empire as a kind of alliance, receiving power and prestige in return for their cooperation. Ethnohistoric documents indicate that Jayanca and Tucume interacted with the Inca in distinct ways. The Tucume resisted while the Jayanca formed an alliance with their conquerors. What this research will do is examine the developing relationships among the Jayanca, Tucume, and Inca and determine to what extent this model holds. This research is important for several reasons. It will increase our understanding of how complex societies emerge and are governed. It will also assist in the training of an extremely promising young scientist.
