This course will explore the Inca Empire, the single largest political entity ever established in the Americas before contact with Europeans. The empire spanned over most of western South America, encompassing different geographical regions that were inhabited by many nations who were different from each other. From Cuzco, its sacred capital, the Inca expanded and established control over a large territory. In each recently incorporated region, the Inca built imperial facilities that were articulated by a network of roads that enabled transportation and the flow of information. Following European contact, the Inca empire collapsed; however, the monuments built by the Inca, such as Machu Picchu, still stand as a reminder of a once marvellous past.
Instructor: Dr. Lidio M. Valdez
Dr. Lidio M. Valdez is a Peruvian archaeologist with a PhD from the University of Calgary. He has taught at different Canadian universities and is currently an adjunct professor with the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology of the University of Calgary. He is also teaching for the Faculty of Native Studies of the University of Alberta. He has conducted extensive field research in Peru; his most recent research is about the Inca Empire, with support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The outcome of his research has been published in international academic journals such as Latin American Antiquity, Antiquity, Journal of Anthropological Research and World Archaeology
