﻿Vol.2] 
  ANDEAN 
  HIGHLANDS 
  — 
  BENNETT 
  13 
  

  

  further 
  united 
  by 
  such 
  pan-Peruvian 
  periods 
  as 
  Chavfn, 
  Tiahuanaco, 
  

   and 
  Inca, 
  whether 
  such 
  periods 
  represented 
  political 
  conquest 
  or 
  

   merely 
  widespread 
  culture 
  diffusion. 
  

  

  Other 
  cultural 
  divisions 
  can 
  be 
  recognized 
  in 
  the 
  Southern 
  Andes, 
  

   here 
  defined 
  as 
  the 
  Highland 
  areas 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  central 
  section. 
  The 
  

   Southern 
  Andes 
  include 
  the 
  Atacameno 
  and 
  Diaguita 
  of 
  North 
  

   Chile 
  and 
  Northwest 
  Argentina, 
  and 
  the 
  Araucanians 
  of 
  the 
  Central 
  

   Valley 
  of 
  Chile. 
  Although 
  much 
  of 
  this 
  area 
  was 
  ultimately 
  con- 
  

   quered 
  by 
  the 
  Inca, 
  distinctive 
  cultural 
  features 
  are 
  readily 
  observable 
  

   in 
  it. 
  Finally, 
  the 
  Northern 
  Andes, 
  which 
  include 
  the 
  Highlands 
  of 
  

   Ecuador 
  and 
  Colombia, 
  present 
  other 
  distinctive 
  cultures, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  

   Chibcha 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  outstanding. 
  

  

  The 
  articles 
  in 
  this 
  volume 
  of 
  the 
  Handbook 
  and 
  the 
  sequence 
  of 
  

   discussion 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  introduction 
  follow 
  this 
  order 
  : 
  Central 
  Andes, 
  

   Southern 
  Andes, 
  and 
  Northern 
  Andes. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  question 
  that 
  the 
  

   Central 
  Andes 
  were 
  a 
  major 
  center 
  of 
  distribution, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  of 
  

   origin, 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  elements 
  of 
  higher 
  civilization. 
  The 
  arrange- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  the 
  articles 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  the 
  gross 
  divisions 
  of 
  the 
  Andes 
  just 
  

   mentioned, 
  however, 
  seems 
  a 
  more 
  suitable 
  sequence 
  than 
  one 
  based 
  on 
  

   the 
  relative 
  intensity 
  of 
  the 
  basic 
  Andean 
  cultural 
  pattern 
  in 
  each 
  

   area. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  following 
  pages 
  each 
  major 
  area 
  is 
  described 
  geographically 
  in 
  

   terms 
  of 
  its 
  suitability 
  for 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  basic 
  Highland 
  

   cultural 
  pattern. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  major 
  changes 
  in 
  habitation 
  pattern 
  

   resulting 
  from 
  European 
  occupation 
  are 
  indicated. 
  Finally, 
  the 
  

   cultural 
  picture 
  is 
  presented 
  briefly 
  as 
  an 
  introduction 
  to 
  the 
  detailed 
  

   descriptive 
  papers 
  which 
  follow. 
  

  

  THE 
  CENTRAL 
  ANDES 
  

   THE 
  ENVIRONMENT 
  

  

  The 
  Central 
  Andean 
  region 
  includes 
  all 
  the 
  mountainous 
  area 
  of 
  

   Peru 
  except 
  the 
  extreme 
  northern 
  part, 
  the 
  Coast 
  of 
  Peru, 
  the 
  alti- 
  

   plano, 
  and 
  the 
  Eastern 
  Cordillera 
  of 
  Bolivia. 
  As 
  previously 
  men- 
  

   tioned, 
  this 
  large 
  area 
  can 
  be 
  treated 
  as 
  a 
  unit 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  considerable 
  

   cultural, 
  linguistic, 
  and 
  environmental 
  diversity. 
  

  

  Peru 
  is 
  commonly 
  described 
  by 
  geographers 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  three 
  ver- 
  

   tical 
  strips: 
  the 
  west 
  Coast 
  plain 
  along 
  the 
  Pacific, 
  noted 
  for 
  its 
  aridity; 
  

   the 
  high 
  Andes; 
  and 
  the 
  eastern 
  Montana, 
  which 
  fades 
  into 
  the 
  plains 
  

   of 
  the 
  Amazon. 
  The 
  west 
  Coast 
  and 
  the 
  mountain 
  region 
  were 
  

   united 
  under 
  Inca 
  rule 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish 
  Conquest, 
  and 
  both 
  

   areas 
  had 
  elaborated 
  the 
  Andean 
  culture 
  pattern 
  long 
  before 
  this. 
  

   This 
  pattern 
  was 
  never 
  successfully 
  established 
  in 
  the 
  Montana 
  region, 
  

   in 
  spite 
  of 
  some 
  cultural 
  exchange 
  between 
  the 
  Andean 
  jand 
  the 
  upper 
  

   Amazonian 
  peoples. 
  

  

  