The Longue Durée of Andean Movement Networks: Case Study in the Lauca Altiplano

Abstract

In the Andes, most archaeological research on road networks has focused on specific historical contexts, like the famous Qhapaq ñan, with relatively little work done to understand the long-term dynamics of these networks. Here, we present a case study on the history of movement networks in the Lauca Altiplano, an upland desert of the south-central Andes that has preserved a dense concentration of ancient infrastructure and traces of movement related to great historical routes, such as the one connecting the famous Potosí silver mines. The results of a multi-scale approach combining road network data from historical maps, satellite photo interpretation, and field survey with topographic and stratigraphic data at way station settlement (tambo) sites, demonstrate the great resilience of the road network until the recent modernization of Andean territories and that the Inca and Spanish Empires did not invest significantly in the transportation system, which was largely managed by indigenous actors.