INTERNAL COLONIZATION, MATERIAL CULTURE AND POWER IN THE INKA EMPIRE

This article employs insights from postcolonial theory for understanding the "discrepant experience" of imperial personnel and subject populations within the Inka Empire. Analysis of material culture reveals processes -including acculturation, emulation, co-optation, and hybridization-that in turn highlight the varied nature of power relations between the Inka state and local peoples. Strongly dependent upon threat and coercion, Inka ideology was reinforced by an impressive visual display of power and logistical competence. Yet the empire was fragile; it deteriorated rapidly after the arrival of the Spaniards.