﻿Vol.2] 
  ANDEAN 
  HIGHLANDS 
  — 
  BENNETT 
  7 
  

  

  Accurate 
  estimates 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  population 
  in 
  the 
  Highlands 
  at 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish 
  Conquest 
  are 
  extremely 
  difficult 
  to 
  secure. 
  Vari- 
  

   ous 
  authors 
  have 
  suggested 
  figures 
  ranging 
  from 
  3,000,000 
  to 
  32,000,- 
  

   000, 
  although 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  justification 
  for 
  the 
  latter. 
  In 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  400 
  years 
  many 
  Indians 
  have 
  been 
  either 
  elimi- 
  

   nated 
  or 
  absorbed 
  in 
  the 
  Mestizo 
  population, 
  it 
  cannot 
  be 
  directly 
  

   inferred 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  Indians 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Conquest 
  was 
  

   the 
  same 
  or 
  greater 
  than 
  the 
  present 
  census 
  figures 
  indicate. 
  In 
  fact, 
  

   Kubler 
  (see 
  this 
  volume, 
  pp. 
  334-340) 
  shows 
  that 
  in 
  Peru 
  and 
  Bolivia 
  

   the 
  Indian 
  population 
  declined 
  between 
  1561 
  and 
  1796 
  but 
  started 
  to 
  

   increase 
  sharply 
  after 
  1821. 
  Similar 
  decrease 
  and 
  subsequent 
  increase 
  

   has 
  also 
  been 
  shown 
  for 
  Mexico 
  and 
  Central 
  America. 
  

  

  The 
  earliest 
  official 
  count 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  population 
  in 
  Peru 
  and 
  

   Bolivia 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  1561 
  and 
  indicated 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  1,490,317. 
  This 
  

   figure 
  is 
  accepted 
  as 
  reasonably 
  reliable 
  by 
  many 
  authors, 
  although 
  

   they 
  may 
  disagree 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  population 
  loss 
  during 
  the 
  30 
  

   preceding 
  years 
  of 
  active 
  Spanish 
  conquest. 
  Kubler 
  (pp. 
  339) 
  

   estimates 
  the 
  1531 
  Indian 
  population 
  on 
  a 
  2:1 
  ratio 
  as 
  3,000,000, 
  

   basing 
  his 
  argument 
  on 
  the 
  situation 
  in 
  Mexico, 
  where 
  the 
  population 
  

   was 
  only 
  decimated 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  serious 
  epidemics 
  which 
  did 
  not 
  occur 
  

   in 
  Peru. 
  Howe 
  (see 
  this 
  volume, 
  p. 
  185) 
  estimates 
  the 
  Indian 
  popula- 
  

   tion 
  on 
  a 
  4:1 
  ratio 
  as 
  6,000,000, 
  basing 
  his 
  argument 
  on 
  population 
  

   decline 
  in 
  certain 
  specific 
  provinces 
  for 
  which 
  figures 
  are 
  available. 
  

  

  Equally 
  detailed 
  evidence 
  is 
  not 
  available 
  for 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   Andean 
  region. 
  For 
  Colombia, 
  Kroeber 
  has 
  estimated 
  about 
  120,000 
  

   Chibcha 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Conquest, 
  with 
  an 
  absolute 
  maximum 
  of 
  

   300,000. 
  (But 
  see 
  p. 
  893.) 
  This 
  is 
  in 
  startling 
  contrast 
  to 
  many 
  

   authors 
  who 
  claim 
  at 
  least 
  1,000,000 
  Chibcha. 
  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  the 
  Chibcha 
  were 
  the 
  only 
  truly 
  sedentary, 
  concentrated 
  popu- 
  

   lation 
  of 
  Colombia, 
  the 
  total 
  Indian 
  population 
  of 
  that 
  country 
  at 
  

   the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Conquest 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  large. 
  

  

  Kroeber 
  (1939) 
  has 
  suggested 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  3,000,000 
  Indians 
  for 
  the 
  

   Inca 
  Empire, 
  based 
  on 
  an 
  analogy 
  with 
  Mexico 
  and 
  Central 
  America. 
  

   Willcox 
  (1931) 
  likewise 
  allows 
  but 
  3,036,000 
  for 
  the 
  Indian 
  population 
  

   of 
  the 
  "plateau" 
  district 
  of 
  the 
  Central 
  Andes 
  for 
  1650. 
  Rosenblatt 
  

   (1935) 
  cites 
  the 
  following 
  estimates: 
  

  

  Highland 
  Indian 
  population 
  in 
  1492 
  

  

  Colombia 
  850,000 
  

  

  Peru 
  2,000,000 
  

  

  Bolivia 
  800,000 
  

  

  Chile 
  600,000 
  

  

  Total 
  4,250,000 
  

  

  In 
  brief, 
  although 
  no 
  definitive 
  statement 
  is 
  possible, 
  the 
  Andean 
  

   population 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Conquest 
  was 
  probably 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  

  

  