HIST 3320 - The Incas and their Ancestors

This course focuses on the civilizations of the ancient Andes. Beginning with an overview of the earliest settlements on the Peruvian coast, this class traces the development of the earliest societies in the Andes paying particular attention to major transitions such as the maritime foundations of Andean civilization, the advent and spread of agriculture, the construction and use of monumental architecture, the formation of states, and the implementation of imperialism. This class will end with Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire and the implementation of colonial rule. Since no indigenous writing systems were developed in the Andes before the colonial period, this class utilizes primarily archeological data, ethnohistorical sources and Spanish colonial sources.