﻿36 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  K. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  the 
  Inca 
  Periods, 
  and 
  many 
  records 
  were 
  kept 
  by 
  specialists 
  on 
  quipus, 
  

   or 
  knotted-string 
  devices. 
  Some 
  writers 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  quipus 
  may 
  

   also 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  for 
  recording 
  the 
  days 
  and 
  the 
  years. 
  The 
  antiq- 
  

   uity 
  of 
  the 
  quipu 
  is 
  not 
  definitely 
  known, 
  but 
  one 
  Early 
  Mochica 
  Pe- 
  

   riod 
  vessel 
  shows 
  a 
  runner 
  carrying 
  a 
  comblike 
  object 
  which 
  may 
  rep- 
  

   resent 
  a 
  string 
  quipu. 
  In 
  any 
  case, 
  Larco 
  Hoyle 
  has 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  

   these 
  running 
  messenger 
  figures 
  on 
  Mochica 
  vessels 
  carry 
  bags 
  which 
  

   contained 
  designed 
  beans. 
  These 
  were 
  seemingly 
  used 
  either 
  as 
  

   counters 
  or 
  as 
  some 
  kind 
  of 
  ideographic 
  writing. 
  Today 
  the 
  quipu 
  is 
  

   exceedingly 
  rare. 
  

  

  Trephining 
  and 
  artificial 
  skull 
  deformation 
  was 
  practiced 
  in 
  Early 
  

   and 
  Late 
  Periods. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  herb 
  medicines 
  was 
  prominent 
  in 
  Inca 
  

   times 
  and 
  probably 
  far 
  earlier. 
  Trephining 
  and 
  deformation 
  are 
  no 
  

   longer 
  practiced. 
  Herb 
  medicines 
  are, 
  however, 
  prominent 
  in 
  every 
  

   market 
  of 
  the 
  Highland 
  region 
  of 
  Peru 
  and 
  Bolivia. 
  

  

  SUMMARY 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  limited 
  review, 
  it 
  is 
  clear 
  that 
  the 
  basic 
  elements 
  of 
  the 
  

   Central 
  Andean 
  culture 
  pattern 
  were 
  largely 
  established 
  by 
  the 
  early 
  

   archeological 
  periods. 
  Although 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  possible 
  to 
  assign 
  any 
  accu- 
  

   rate 
  dates, 
  it 
  would 
  not 
  seem 
  unreasonable 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  by 
  A. 
  D. 
  500 
  

   the 
  basis 
  of 
  this 
  pattern 
  was 
  formulated. 
  In 
  about 
  one 
  thousand 
  years 
  

   of 
  development 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Conquest, 
  there 
  is 
  amazingly 
  little 
  

   evidence 
  of 
  technological 
  advancement. 
  Certain 
  technological 
  im- 
  

   provements 
  in 
  metallurgy 
  are 
  noted, 
  but 
  the 
  ceramics, 
  weaving, 
  archi- 
  

   tecture, 
  and 
  carving 
  illustrate 
  a 
  change 
  in 
  emphasis 
  rather 
  than 
  in 
  

   technology. 
  The 
  most 
  significant 
  changes 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  fields 
  of 
  social 
  

   and 
  political 
  organization. 
  There 
  is 
  considerable 
  evidence 
  of 
  a 
  steady 
  

   increase 
  in 
  population 
  from 
  the 
  Chavin 
  and 
  Early 
  Periods 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  

   Inca 
  Period. 
  With 
  the 
  advancing 
  control 
  of 
  agricultural 
  production 
  

   and 
  the 
  increase 
  in 
  cultivable 
  land 
  by 
  irrigation, 
  a 
  larger 
  population 
  

   could 
  be 
  supported 
  even 
  though 
  less 
  actual 
  time 
  was 
  consumed 
  on 
  

   subsistence 
  activities. 
  In 
  the 
  Early 
  Periods, 
  such 
  leisure 
  time 
  seems 
  

   to 
  have 
  been 
  devoted 
  to 
  ancestor 
  worship 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  

   goods 
  for 
  burial. 
  Later, 
  this 
  control 
  of 
  economy 
  permitted 
  the 
  sup- 
  

   port 
  of 
  a 
  political 
  superstructure. 
  

  

  The 
  Inca 
  crystallized 
  this 
  development 
  of 
  political 
  organization. 
  

   They 
  established 
  themselves 
  as 
  a 
  ruling 
  class 
  over 
  a 
  wide 
  area 
  in 
  a 
  series 
  

   of 
  successful 
  military 
  campaigns. 
  The 
  Inca 
  system 
  was 
  not 
  directed 
  

   toward 
  exploiting 
  tribute 
  from 
  the 
  conquered 
  peoples, 
  bat 
  rather 
  was 
  

   an 
  attempt 
  to 
  build 
  up 
  a 
  well-integrated 
  economic 
  organization. 
  It 
  is 
  

   difficult 
  to 
  evaluate 
  the 
  total 
  Inca 
  achievement, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  certainly 
  

   successful 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  organization 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  mass 
  of 
  population. 
  

  

  Other 
  types 
  of 
  trends 
  might 
  be 
  studied, 
  particularly 
  as 
  more 
  detailed 
  

   evidence 
  becomes 
  available 
  for 
  the 
  various 
  time 
  periods. 
  Kubler 
  (see 
  

  

  