CAPACOCHAS, RITUAL LANDSCAPES AND HIGH-SUMMIT ARCHAEOLOGY. THE SACRED INKA SPACE
Andean archaeology has made great advances in understanding the essential meaning of Inka capacochas as well as offering interesting insights into the social and political control exercised by the Inka state. In this sense, the sacred space involved in the notion of acts of human sacrifice encompassed the entire scope of Inka expansion and, in some way, fostered the inclusion of territories through this religious-political and social practice. The different sites where the existence of capacochas has been documented confirm the broad and inclusive knowledge held by all the ethnic groups that made up the Tawantinsuyu, through a complementary means of territorial domination—perhaps the most effective in terms of control, since it involved the acceptance of the nature of Inka rule through the deepest development of the spirit. The high Andean summits were, and continue to be, an essential element in Andean cosmovision, especially during Inka rule. Not only the presence of hills, mountains and volcanoes is and has been crucial, but even more interesting is the profound practical knowledge acquired of the geography of the high summits, which undoubtedly led to the development of a special group of Andean mountaineers. This symposium proposes, through various presentations, to explore updated aspects of research in the Andean highlands, including the figure of the capacocha and its relationship to Inka cosmovision and sacred space, including contributions on function and symbolism, the valuation and role of oral traditions, documentation methods, archaeometric analyses, chronology and issues of conservation and museology. The session aims to offer an overview of recent contributions and outline future directions for research. By integrating data from different regions, the discussion will contribute to a broader understanding of the Inka phenomenon within pre-Hispanic cultural landscapes and the deep practical knowledge acquired of the geography of the high summits. In recent decades, archaeological research has broadened the understanding of capacocha ceremonies by considering not only summit contexts but also the processes of planning, circulation and construction of the ritual landscape that made their performance possible. The study of ceremonial roads, shelters, platforms and other associated infrastructures allows high-altitude shrines to be integrated within a broader territorial system, closely linked to the Qhapaq Ñan and to the various forms of interaction between Andean populations and sacred mountains. In this sense, the symposium also aims to promote research that contributes to an increasingly comprehensive understanding of these cultural landscapes and of the multiple dimensions—ritual, social, political, environmental and heritage-related—involved in high-mountain ceremonies during the time of the Tawantinsuyu.
