Pablo Adolfo Ochoa y Clarisa Otero

In this article, we discuss the rationales behind the mobility that determined the layout of the qhapaq ñan in the central area of Quebrada de Humahuaca. We present a functional, architectural and site analysis of the road system, with an emphasis on the routes crossing to Río Grande, where the main road was located. In addition to this analysis is the identification of numerous tambos articulating the road networks to connect the quebrada with other environments and to facilitate the flow of resources and goods. The results suggest that the layout of the main roads crossing the Inca route was shaped by the intensive production of agricultural resources and sumptuous objects in the Pucará de Tilcara, considered the capital of the wamani of Humahuaca. Furthermore, these branches may have had a principal role in the enactment of religious principles based on their configuration around the worship of the wakas. We propose that the quebrada was a particular case of Inca provincialism, where a region near the state border and distant from the center of the Empire had a high degree of intervention and direct control over local populations.