Physical geography and cultural trajectory of the Central Andes

This chapter provides background information for the reconstruction of pre-Hispanic Central Andean history and its changing environments based on interdisciplinary data. The highly varied geography, ecology, and cultural diversity require a subdivision of the Central Andes into three parts: North, Center, and South. Each is characterized by naturally and socially connected landscapes that have often been victims to climatic impacts, which partially led to political collapse, but also to resilience and innovations. These conditions favored segmentary polities with only relatively late agropastoral expansive states or empires. In the North, where complex polities and cultures ensued in remarkable continuity until the 16th century. The Center is a kind of transition area, while the South is later in evolution, but dominant from ad 700/800 (Wari, Tiwanaku) to Inca. Regional perspectives and changing networks hence are crucial for the comprehension of this complex world without written sources.