Ritual Pathways of the Inca: An Analysis of the Collasuyu Ceques in Cuzco

Author(s): Brian S. Bauer

Source: Latin American Antiquity , Sep., 1992, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Sep., 1992), pp. 183-205
Published by: Cambridge University Press

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 RITUAL PATHWAYS OF THE INCA: AN ANALYSIS OF
THE COLLASUYU CEQUES IN CUZCO

Brian S. Bauer

The ceque system of Cuzeo was composed of at least 328 shrines (huacas) organized along 42 hypoth
lines (ceques) that radiated out of the city of Cuzeo, the capital of the Inca. Ethnohistoric research indicate
the system was conceptually linked to, and essentially reproduced, the fundamental social, political, spatia
temporal divisions of the Cuzeo region and Inca society. As such the ceque system is one of the most comp
indigenous Prehispanic ritual systems known in the Americas. This article summarizes the basic organiza
features of the ceque system according to ethnohistorians and reviews the current literature. Archaeologica
document the likely positions of 85 shrines and the probable courses of nine ceques in Collasuyu, the south
quarter of the Cuzeo Valley. The courses of the nine Collasuyu ceques are then compared with predicted co
set forth in current models of the system. The findings suggest that numerous internal inconsistencies, if not e
exist in the seventeenth-century documentary source that describes the ceque system and that the courses of
ceques may have variedfar more than is suggested in the literature.
El sistema de ceques de Cuzeo estaba compuesto por lo menos de 328 santuarios (huacas) organizados
largo de 42 lineas hipoteticas (ceques) que partian de la ciudad de Cuzeo, la capital inca. La investigaci
etnohistorica senala que el sistema estaba vinculado conceptualmente, y esencialmente reproducia, las divis
sociales, politicas, espaciales y temporales fundamentales de la region de Cuzeo y de la sociedad inca. Como
los ceques constituyen uno de los mas complejos sistemas rituales indigenas prehispanicos de las Americas.
articulo sintetiza, de acuerdo a los etnohistoriadores, los rasgos basicos organizativos del sistema de ceq
resena la literatura actual. La evidencia arqueologica, por su parte, documenta las posibles posiciones
santuarios y los probables cursos de nueve ceques en el Collasuyu, el cuadrante sudeste del valle de Cuzeo.
se comparan los cursos de dichos nueve ceques con aquellos previstos en los modelos comunes del sistem
resultados revelan numerosas inconsistencias internas, si no errores, en la fuente del siglo diecisiete que de
el sistema de ceques y, ademas, que el curso de estos puede haber variado bastante mas de lo sugerido p
literatura corriente.

One of the most extraordinary accounts of indigenous culture and religion compiled during th
period of early Spanish rule in the Americas is preserved in the 1653 chronicle of BeInabe Cobo.
Four chapters of this chronicle (Cobo 1956: 169-186, 1990:51-84 [1653:Book 13, Chapters 13-16];
Rowe 1980) are devoted to describing some 328 huacas (shrines) that surrounded Cuzco, the ancient
capital of the Inca. The 42 ceques (lines) that radiated out from Cuzco, along which the shrines were
organized, are also discussed in Cobo's account. In addition, the objects offiered to the shrines, the
relative order of the shrines along the ceques, and the means by which the shrines were maintained
and worshipped by the Inca are described in this unusually detailed manuscript. This list of huacas
and ceques is the most complete description of Inca rituals known and forms the empirical base for
a number of social and political models of the Inca capital (Chavez Ballon 1970; Rowe 1985;
Sherbondy 1982,1986; Zuidema 1964,1983a). The ceque system of Cuzco has also been fundamental
in discussions of the Inca calendar and Andean mythology (Aveni 1981; DearboIn and Schreiber
1986, 1989; Zuidema 1977a, 1977b, 1981 a, 1982a, 1982b, 1982c, 1982d, 1983b, 1988b). Thus
Cobo's chronicle presents a rare description of elaborate indigenous ritual expressions in Cuzco and
a means of examining the basic organizing principles of one of the New World's largest empires.

Brian S. Bauer, 5514 South UniversityAvenue, Apt. 1724, Chicago, IL 60637

Latin American Antiquity, 3(3), 1992, pp. 183-205.

Copyright C) 1992 by the Society for American Archaeology

381

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 LATIN AMERICAN ANTIQUITY
184 [Vol. 3, No. 3,

Despite the importance of the ceque system in u

have been few large-scale, systematic studies aimed at identifying the shrines and ceques described
by Cobo. The aim of this article is to examine the positions of 85 huacas in the southeast quarter
of the Cuzco Valley, known as Collasuyu. Through the identification of these shrines the courses
of 9 ceques are suggested. This ground documentation of shrine locations and ceques is then used
to analyze
nature the accuracy
of Andean of Cobo's document and to examine diffiering theories concerning the physical
ceque systems.

THE ORGANIZATION OF CUZCO AND THE INCA EMPIRE

An analysis and discussion of the locations of specific huacas in the Cuzco region and the direc-
tionality
by of the ceques requires a comprehension of the system as a whole as currently understood
ethnohistorians.

The spatial organization of the Inca empire is discussed in a number of chronicles, and there is
general agreement on its broadest geopolitical divisions. The Inca divided the Cuzco Valley, and
by extension their immense empire, into four regions, or suyus, from which the empire gained its
name, Tahuantinsuyu ("the four parts together"). The imperial city of Cuzco was visualized at the
center of these four parts and was perceived by the Inca as the center of Andean cosmological order.
Furthermore, there is ample evidence to conclude that the city of Cuzco and the valley that surrounds
it were divided into moieties. The upper half of Cuzco, called Hanansaya, was composed of two
separate quarters. These included the northwest quarter of the empire, referred to as Chinchaysuyu,
and the northeast section, named Antisuyu. The lower half of Cuzco was called Hurinsaya and
contained
imperial the quarters of Collasuyu and Cuntisuyu, lying to the southeast and southwest of the
capital.

The Cuzvo Ceque System

While information on the general suyu and moiety divisions of Cuzco and the empire may be
found in most of the Spanish chronicles, the work entitled Historia del Nuevo Mundo (History of
the New World), written in 1653 by Bernabe Cobo, a meticulous Jesuit scholar, preserves a record
of a related, but vastly more complex, partitioning system of the Cuzco Valley by the Inca. In
addition to the moieties of Cuzco (Hanan and Hurin) and the four quarters of the empire (Chin-
chaysuyu, Antisuyu, Collasuyu, and Cuntisuyu), the Cuzco region was, according to Cobo, further
partitioned by 42 ceques that radiated out from the center of Cuzco. The orientations of these lines
were determined by the locations of some 328 shrines that surrounded the city. The focal point of
these lines, or what could be called the nucleus for the ceque system, is said to have been the temple
of Cori Cancha, later referred to by the Spaniards as the Temple ofthe Sun. Cobo (1990:51 [1653:
Book 13, Chapter 13]) wrote in the introduction to his ceque description:

del templo del sol salian como de centro ciertas lineas, que los indios llaman, ceques; y hacianse quatro partes
conforme a los quatro caminos Reales que salian del Cuzco; y en cada uno de aquellos ceques estauan por
su orden las Guacas, y adoratorios que hauia en el Cuzco, y su comarca, como estaciones de lugares pios,
cuya veneracion era general a todas [transcription by Rowe (1980:14) from the original document].
from the Temple of the Sun as from the center there went out certain lines which the Indians call ceques:
they formed four parts corresponding to the four royal roads which went out from Cuzco. On each one of
those ceques were arranged in order the guacas and shrines which there were in Cuzco and its district, like
stations of holy places, the veneration of which was common to all [translation by Rowe (1980:15)].

In the course of his documentation, Cobo described the ceques contained in each of the four suyus,
as well as the individual shrines that formed the organizational lines. His description indicates that
the first three suyus of the Cuzco region-Chinchaysuyu, Antisuyu, and Collasuyu-contained 9
ceques each, while the last, Cuntisuyu, contained 15. The ceques in each of the four suyus were
enumerated in groups of three, and ranked by the hierarchical terms of (1) Collana, (2) Payan, and
(3) Cayao (Rowe 1985; Zuidema 1964:2-5, 1983a).

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Bauer] RITUAL PATHWAYS OF THE INCA 185

The Shrines of the Cuzeo Ceque System

Any discussion of the Cuzco ceque system, and its representations of the Inca cultural order, must
necessarily include a description of the many individual huacas-sacred places or objects-that
formed the basic units of the system. The shrines of the Cuzco region included natural features of
the landscape, such as caves, boulders, springs, and man-made features, such as houses, fountains,
and canals. The number of huacas that were contained along individual ceques varied. For example,
two ceques in Cuntisuyu contained only 3 shrines each, while two other ceques, one in Collasuyu
and one in Chinchaysuyu, contained 13. Due to the scarcity of field research on the system, little
is known concerning the spacing of these shrines, their distribution across the region, or the lengths
of the ceques. The Cobo document contains fragments of oral traditions concerning the origins of
the huacas, as well as information on what offierings were made at them and for what purposes.
Many of the shrines gained status as holy places for the inhabitants of Cuzco through their association
with events in Inca mytho-history. Other shrines became the focus of worship because of their
relationship with Inca rulers; several were palaces and others marked places where important events
in an Inca's life were said to have taken place. A number of huacas served as land boundaries
between social groups or were related to the irrigation systems of the Cuzco region (Sherbondy 1982,
1986; Zuidema 1986). Certain shrines also marked symbolically important locations, such as moun-
tain passes where Cuzco was lost from sight. Others represented astronomical sighting points in the
Inca calendar; for example, three huacas are said to have been sets of towers on hills surrounding
Cuzco that marked sunsets on important days in the agricultural calendar.
Cobo also notes that attendants and servants of the various kin groups (ayllus and panacas) were
responsible for making offierings to the huacas on specific ceques (Cobo 1956:169 [1653:Book 13,
Chapter 13]; Rowe 1980:14). Accordingly, it seems that the spatial divisions ofthe Cuzco Valley,
as defined by the courses of ceques, were directly linked to the social organization of the capital by
the ritual responsibilities held by certain kin groups (Rowe 1985; Zuidema 1964, 1990).

CEQUE-SYSTEM RESEARCH

The four chapters of Cobo's chronicle that contain the account of the huacas and ceques of Cuzco
are refexTed to collectively here as the Relacion de las huacas. It is widely recognized, however, that
Cobo was not the original author of this work and that he gained his information by copying a
second presumably much older document. The two most frequently mentioned candidates for the
original author are Juan Polo de Ondegardo and Cristobal de Molina, both of whom lived and
wrote in Cuzco during the late 1500s and were interested in documenting the religious practices of
the Inca. Rowe (1980:6-8) has, however, identified discrepancies between information presented in
the writings of these Spaniards and information contained in the Relacion de las huacas. On the
basis of these discrepancies, he argues against the likelihood that either Polo de Ondegardo or de
Molina was the principal author ofthe original ceque-system account. This leaves open the possibility
that the work may be the result of another, currently unidentified, Spaniard.

Sixteenth-Century Writings on the Cuzvo Ceque System

When Bernabe Cobo finished his Historia del Nuevo Mundo in 1653 Spanish forces had occupied
the Peruvian highlands for more than 100 years. During this four- or five-generation-long period
of Hispanic rule, the existence of ceque systems in Andean communities had come to the attention
of a number of Jesuits and Spanish crown administrators. These early references to ceque systems
suggest that groups of shrines, organized along lines that radiated out from community centers, may
have been widely recognized features of the Andean landscape in the immediate Postconquest era.
For example, Jose de Acosta (1954:560-561, 562 [1580:Book 5, Chapters 9 and 10]) and Cristobal
de Molina (1989: 126 [1575]) both refer to the Cuzco system in their writings. Juan Polo de Ondegardo
(1916a:43 [1585]), two-term corregidor of Cuzco, also indicates that he knew of the Cuzco ceque
system and that he personally investigated over 100 other such systems in different parts of the
highlands (Polo de Ondegardo 1916b:55-57 [1571]). In addition, Cristobal de Albornoz (1984:218

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186 LATIN AMERICAN ANTIQUITY [Vol. 3, No. 3, 1992

[ca. 1582]) also was aware of various ceque systems throughout the Andes and, like Polo de On-
degardo, implored other Spaniards to destroy them.
A number of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century linguists also mention the word ceque in their
works and indicate that it can be glossed as "line." For example, Diego Gon,calez Holguin (1952:
81-82, 652 [1608]) relates ceque with the Spanish word raya (line or mark). Domingo de Santo
Tomas (1951:159, 196, 259 [1560:71, 89, 121]) also glosses ceque as raya and suggests that it had
special importance in discussions of field boundaries. Furthermore, the Jesuit parish priest Juan
Perez [de] Bocanegra (1631:609, 610), states that the term checan cequep incorporates the concepts
of "straight line of consanguinity" while pallcarec ceque denotes "transversal" or "collateral" lines
of relations in his discussion of Quechua kinship terminology (Zuidema 1977c:260).

Modern Studies of the Cuzvo Ceque System

The Cuzco ceque system first appeared as a topic of scholarly research in work by KirchhoW
(1949), but the first formal study of the system was conducted by Zuidema in the mid- 1950s and
published in 1964. Since that time interest in this complex system has grown, until today it has
become one of the most widely debated aspects of Andean studies. Zuidema has been especially
active in continued research on the social and political dimensions of Inca society as reflected in
the Cuzco ceque system. Other prominent scholars, including Agurto Calvo (1980, 1987), Chavez
Ballon (1970), Hyslop (1990), Rowe (1980, 1985), Urton (1984), and Wachtel (1973) have also
examined various organizational aspects of the Cuzco ceques. These studies are largely historical in
nature, attempting to construct models of the system from information provided in the Relacion
de las huacas and include limited ground verification ofthe location ofthe shrines or the organization
of the ceques.

Field research can, however, make important contributions to understanding the ceque system.
Sherbondy's (1982, 1986, 1987) study ofthe irrigation system of Hanan Cuzco provides one ofthe
best examples. Through an analysis of Cobo's writing, information recovered in Cuzco archives,
and data gathered during limited reconnaissance work, Sherbondy examined the interrelations
between Inca social organization, traditional Inca land and water rights, and the ceque system in
the Chinchaysuyu and Antisuyu regions of Cuzco, since approximately 30 percent of the huacas in
the Cuzco ceque system are springs. She also identified a number of shrines and developed a series
of maps showing possible ceque courses in these two suyus.
Another investigation that illustrates how fieldwork can advance our understanding of the Cuzco
ceque system, is Van der Guchte's (1984, 1990) study of Inca carved stones. In his work, Van der
Guchte supplies detailed descriptions of all known carved rocks in the Cuzco region, some of which
may have represented huacas in the ceque system. He also provides a collection of maps that portray
possible projections of ceques in Chinchaysuyu and Antisuyu. Sherbondy's and Van der Guchte's
works assume, however, that the Cuzco ceques formed perfectly straight lines, an assumption that
has been generally accepted in the literature since the time of Zuidema's initial research on the
system.

The initial acceptance of the ceques as straight lines is supported by de Molina's (1989 [1575])
report on the Capac Cocha ritual of the Inca, in which priests are described as visiting the shrines
of Cuzco and the empire by traveling in straight lines. The idea that the ceques formed perfectly
straight lines is also continually reinforced by the many hypothetical reconstructions of the system
currently found in the literature (Aveni 1990; Chavez Ballon 1970; Dearborn and Schreiber 1989;
Sherbondy 1982, 1986; Urton 1984; Van der Guchte 1984, 1990; Wachtel 1973; Zuidema 1964,
1977a,1983b,1990). The notion of straight ceque lines is further bolstered by the many comparisons
that have been made between the ceque system and the Nazca Lines on the Pacific coast of Peru
(Aveni 1990; Morrison 1978; Reinhard 1985). In addition, the frequent observation that the physical
form of the ceque system may have been analogous to a quipu-on which its existence may have
been recorded-has also been used to support the concept of straight ceque lines (Aveni 1990; Rowe
1946, 1980; Zuidema 1977a, 1988a, 1989).
However, it is within the context of Zuidema's work on the possible calendrical functions of the

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Bauer] RITUAL PATHWAYS OF THE INCA 187

ceque system that the straight-line assumption takes on more than a heuristic value and becomes
a definitive feature of the system. Since the mid- 1970s, Zuidema (1977a, 1977b, 1981 a, 1981 b,
1982b,1982c,1983b,1988b) and Anthony Aveni (1981) have been developing a complex argument
suggesting that one of the central functions of the ceque system was as a counting device for the
Inca calendar. Within this elaborate hypothesis, each huaca of the system stands for a day in the
year, and some of the ceques were used as sight lines for observing astronomical events on the
horizon (Zuidema 1977a:220).
The suggestion that some of the ceques were straight lines has profound implications for
standing the role of the shrines recorded by Cobo in the Relacion de las huacas and the esse
their sacred nature. Zuidema's theory suggests that various objects and locations were sele
huacas because they fell along certain preconceived lines. In other words, various shrines
incorporated into the ceque system not because of some innate power they possessed, or their
significance in events of Inca mytho-history, or their importance in defining territorial bo
between ethnic groups, but rather because of their usefulness in defining lines from the c
Cuzco to the horizon (Zuidema 1977a:251, 1981b:325, 1988a:341). This is discussed in an
on the Inca's sidereal lunar calendar:

As far as we have been able to study these directions, called ceques, "lines," they were based on sightlines
towards the horizon. Ceques to the nearby horizon could pass beyond it, while ceques to the far away horizo
would end before. The directions were known with the help of natural or man made markers along the ceques,
in numbers varying from 3 to 15, whose locations normally were chosen as close as possible to the direction
For this reason they were worshiped as sacred and called huacas [Zuidema 1982c:59].

It is important to note, however, that Zuidema and Aveni do not state that all of the ceques were
straight. Nevertheless, their discussions of the system and their diagrams of "known" ceques (Ave
1981, 1990; Zuidema 1977a, 1982b, 1982c, 1990) indicate that they believe a good many of them
did represent straight lines. This straight-line assumption also has been accepted and further a
vanced by students trained by Zuidema who have conducted their own fieldwork in the Cuzco
region. As discussed above, both Sherbondy (1982) and Van de Guchte (1990), suggest locations
for a number of huacas in Chinchaysuyu and Antisuyu and plot the ceques of these suyus as straig
lines.
Rowe (1979) appears to have been the first to question the straight-line assumption. Additional
research on this issue by Niles recovered field data that necessitate reconsideration of the straight-
line ceque proposition. In 1977, Niles began an intensive archaeological study of a small section of
Antisuyu, northeast of Cuzco. She concluded that many of the huacas that defined the fourth, fifth,
and sixth ceques of Antisuyu were scattered across the Callachaca region in a nonlinear fashion
(Niles 1987: 171-206). Subsequently, it was recognized that these huacas and their respective ceques
appeared to be located in radically diffierent locations than predicted by Zuidema's models of the
ceque system (Dearborn and Schreiber 1989; Niles 1987: 180,204-205). In addition, it is important
to note that while the lines in Nile's model do not cross over each other, they do frequently change
directions as they zigzag their way across the landscape. In this model of the ceque system, it is the
specific locations of the huacas that define the course of the lines and not vice versa.

CUZCO CEQUE-SYSTEM RESEARCH PROJECT

Additional research on the ceque system was begun by the author in 1990 under the au
the Cuzco Ceque System Research Project. The goal of the project was to provide, thro
nographic and archival research as well as field survey, systematic documentation of t
Cuzco ceque system. Research began in Collasuyu since, of the four suyus, it appeared to
the least disturbed by modern population growth. The results of that initial work are
below. '

Methods

Archaeological survey began in locations of Collasuyu thought to contain particular shrines on

the basis of documentary evidence. Survey crews were composed of students from the Universidad

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 LATIN AMERICAN ANTIQUITY
188 [Vol. 3, No. 3, 1992

San Antonio Abad del Cuzco, who were trained in archaeological reconnais
in Spanish and Quechua. Positive identification of a huaca occurred when a description provided
by Cobo matched the physical features of a specific object (e.g., a cave, spring, or outcrop) that
retained the name of a shrine listed in the Relacion de las huacas. Working systematically from
these points, teams surveyed the surrounding area to identify and record locations of other possible
shrines that did not retain their toponyms. When a possible shrine was identified, its location was
marked on topographic maps, photographs were taken, and surface materials collected. The research
regions were repeatedly visited until the terrain had been exhaustively covered.
While conducting the archaeological fieldwork for this project, survey members interviewed local
inhabitants in Quechua. During the course of the interviews, the project was explained and questions
were asked concerning possible locations of shrines mentioned in the Relacion de las huacas. The
names of the major physical features of the survey area including mountains, hills, ridges, springs,
rivers, lakes, irrigation systems, outcrops, isolated boulders, trails, passes, and caves, as well as the
names of archaeological sites were recorded. Confirmation of toponyms occurred when three in-
dependent informants provided similar answers.

Additional questions were asked concerning the current shrines of the region including their names
and locations, objects offiered to them, when and how the offierings are made, and the function of
the shrines. Interviews were held with village officials to gather more toponymic information and
to gain access to early land documents that many communities still retain. Furthermore, over the
course of the project, crew members met with former hacienda owners of the Cuzco region. During
these interviews permission was sought to examine documents held in their private archives and
questions were asked concerning local land divisions, boundary markers, and toponyms of the
region.

Data on the former huacas were also collected by project members trained in archival research
and early Spanish orthography, working in the Archivo Arzobispal del Cuzco, the Archivo Depar-
tamental del Cuzco, the Archivos del Ministerio de Agricultura del Cuzco, and in the private archives
of various communities and former hacienda owners. This archival research provided additional
information on the shrines mentioned in the Relacion de las huacas, identified toponyms that had
been forgotten or had changed, and helped resolve whether or not specific toponyms were used for
two diffierent features of the landscape over time.

THE CEQUES OF COLLASUYU

Collasuyu represents the southeast quarter of the Cuzco region, including the area south of the
Huatanay River and north of the ridge of Anahuarqui. The Relacion de las huacas notes that the
area of Collasuyu contained at least 85 shrines that were organized along 9 ceques.2 The ceques of
Collasuyu contained between 8 and 13 huacas each. The first few shrines of each ceque were located
in the city of Cuzco (Figure 1) and the remaining ones were situated in the countryside.
In this study I use a modified version of Rowe's (1980) numbering system of the ceques and
huacas while describing their locations. In this system the ceques and huacas are identified in
accordance with the number that Cobo gave them in his description of the system. For example,
Co.1: 1 signifies the first shrine of the first ceque of Collasuyu, while Co.9: 13 designates the thirteenth
shrine of the ninth ceque of Collasuyu. My only modification to Rowe's system is the substitution
of a period for a dash (Co. 1:1 and Co. 9:13 replace Co- 1: 1 and Co-9: 13). Niles (1987: 173) also
uses this modified version. For the remainer of this report I quote from Rowe's (1980) transcription
of the Relacion de las huacas without further citation.3

The First Ceque of Collasuyu

The first ceque of Collasuyu (Figure 2, Table 1) began at a stone near the house of Mancio Serra
de Leguizamo: a house that Garcilaso de la Vega (1989:427 [1609:Book 7, Chapter 10]) suggests
was south of the Plaza de Armas. Mudca Puquiu, the second shrine, was a small spring near the
southernofend
southeast of Tullu Mayo (Wiener 1880) and the next huaca, Churucana (Co. 1:3), was a hill
San Sebastian.

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 A:X :;Q
0 35 \ '. *Co. 9:S Co. 7 3'
3- Temple of the Sun o soo 1
*- Shrlne Location
- Area of Shrine

*- Possible Area of Shrine

Figure 1. Possible locations of Collasuyu shrines in the city

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 *- Shrine Locatlon

*- Area ot Shrine

- Possible Area of Shrine

Figure 2. Suggested courses of ceqlles: Co. 1, Co. 2, and Co. 3.

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Bauer] RITUAL PATHWAYS OF THE INCA 191

Table 1. Short Descriptions of Ceques: Co. 1, Co. 2, and Co. 3.

Num-
ber Name Description Location Possible Identification

Co. 1:1 Pururauca a stone in a win- where the house of Mancio Ser- south of the Plaza de
dow ra [de Leguizamo] was later Armas
Co. 1:2 Mudcapuquiu a small spring below the houses of Anton Ruiz on Tullu Mayo Street
Co. 1:3 Churucana a small and next to San Lazaro the hill of Churucana
round hill
Co. 1:4 Caribamba a flat place in the town of Cacra near Cayra
Co. 1:5 Micaya Pu- a spring on the slope of the hill of Micay Puquiu
quiu Guanacauri
Co. 1:6 Atpitan certain stones in a ravine where one loses village of Acpita
sight of Guanacauri
Co. 1:7 Guamansaui a large stone on top of a hill next to the An- unknown
gostura
Co. 1:8 Guayra a ravlne of the Angostura where they re- the Angostura
lated that the wind went in
Co. 1:9 Mayu a river which runs through the Angos- Huatanay River
tura and through Cuzco
Co. 2:1 Limapampa a flat place in the field of Diego Gil Lima Pampa
Co. 2:2 Raquiancalla a small hill in that chacara [field] unknown
Co. 2:3 Sausero a field Sausero
Co. 2:4 Omatalispa- a spring in the middle of a field unknown
cha
Co. 2:5 Oscollo a flat place which belonged to Garcilaso Oscollo Pampa
Co. 2:6 Tuino Urco three stones in a corner of the town of Cacra Tuino Urco
Co. 2:7 Palpancay Pu- a spring on a hill next to Cacra Palpancay Pampa
qUlU

Co. 2:8 Collocalla a marker in a ra- beside the road Collollacta

vlne
Co. 3:1 Tampucancha three stones part of the house of Mancio south of the Plaza de
Serra Armas
Co. 3:2 Pampasona a stone next to the house mentioned south of the Plaza de
above Armas
Co. 3:3 Pirpoyopacha a spring in the field of Diego Maldonado in San Borja
Co. 3:4 Guanipata a field farther down where there was a in E1 Progreso
big wall
Co. 3:5 Anaypampa a field Anay Pampa
Co. 3:6 Suriguaylla a sprlng in a flat place so named on the Hacienda Suri
Huaylla
Co. 3:7 Sinopampa three round on a flat place in the middle of Sano Ayllu Pampa
stones the town of Sano [Sano]
Co. 3:8 Sanopuquiu a spring in a ravine of the said town Sano Puquiu
Co. 3:9 Llulpacturo a small hill opposite the Angostura unknown

Cobo writes that a flat area in the town of"Cacra" called Cari Bamba was the fourth huaca of
this ceque. Cobo's town of Cacra is, in all probability, a community at the southeastern end of the
Cuzco Valley now called Cayra (Bauer 1991). The next shrine is reported to be a spring on the slope
of Huanacauri called Micaya Puquiu (Co. 1:5). A good candidate for this huaca is the spring of
Micay Puquiu on Huanacauri near the Cayra-Pacariqtambo trail (Figure 3).4 The sixth huaca,
Atpitan, is depicted as a group of stones in a ravine where Huanacauri is lost from view. No location
with the name of Atpitan was found in the Cuzco Valley. There is, however, a village called Acpita
in a narrow ravine one kilometer south of Micay Puquiu, at the base of Huanacauri that may be
related to Atpitan. These possible locations for Co. 1:5 and Co. 1:6 are problematic since they are
well off the general course of this ceque.
The final three shrines of Co. 1 are registered as being near the Angostura; the narrow, southeastern
entrance into the Cuzco Valley. The exact location of Co. 1:7, Guamansaui, is not known. Co. 1:
8, a ravine called Guayra (Huayra), was most certainly the ravine of the Angostura itself, and the

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 lVol. 3, No. 3, 1992
192 LATIN AMERICAN ANTIQUITY

L f n S d

H
(river).

The Second Ceque of Collasuyu

The second ceque of Collasuyu (Figure 2, Table 1) began in Cuzco in the plaza of Lima Pampa
(Cobo 1956:215, 216-217, 1990:140, 143-144 [1653:Book 13, Chapter 27]; de Molina 1989:72
[1575]; Garcilaso de la Vega 1989:104 [1609:Book 7, Chapter 8]; Guaman Poma de Ayala 1980:
225 [1615:251 (actual pagination); 253 (correct pagination)]). The second huaca, Raquiancalla, was
near this plaza and the third, a field called Sausero, was in an area currently called San Borja (Ardiles
Nieves 1986; Cobo 1956:216-217, 1990: 142-144 [1653:Book 13, Chapter 27]; de Molina 1989:
118 [1575]; Guaman Poma de Ayala 1980:225 [1615:251 (253)]). From Sausero the ceque ran through
an unidentified shrine called Omatalis Pacha (Co. 2:4), to the pampa of Oscollo (Co. 2:5), and then
to Tunio Urco (Co. 2:6) near Cayra, where it curved southward to the area of Palpancay (Co. 2:7).
The terminus ofthe ceque, Collocalla (Co. 2:8), may have been a ravine currently called Collollacta
south of Palpancay.

The Third Ceque of Collasuyu

The first and second shrines of Co. 3 (Figure 2, Table 1), Tampu Cancha and Pampa Sona, are
described as part of, or near, the house of Mancio Serra de Leguizamo. This house, as noted above,
may have stood south of the Plaza de Armas. The third huaca, Pirpoypacha (Lirpuy Pacha), was

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Bauer] RITUAL PATHWAYS OF THE INCA 193

near the eastern end of San Borja. The fourth shrine, Guanipata (Huanay Pata) was a famous field
(Sarmiento de Gamboa (1906:38 [1572:Book 13]) in the sector of Cuzco now called E1 Progreso;
the fifth, Anay Pampa, was a large expanse of flat land near the Cuzco airport; and the sixth, Suri
Guaylla (Suri Huaylla), was across the Huatanay River from the airport. The next shrine, Sino
Pampa (Sano Pampa [Co. 3:7]), may have been on a plain between San Sebastian and San Jeronimo
formerly called Sano Ayllu Pampa, and a spring with the name of the eighth shrine, Sano Puquiu,
has been found in a village of Quircas, above this pampa. The location of the final shrine of this
ceque, Llulpacturo (Llulpact Urco? [Co. 3:9]), remains unknown.

The Fourth Ceque of Collasuyu

The fountain of Puma Pacha, the first huaca of Co. 4 (Figure 4, Table 2), was beside the market
of San Blas (Sherbondy 1982:192). From Puma Pacha the ceque ran to the shrine of Taucaray (Co.
4:2), close to the hill of Taucaray, and then to the spring of Quispiquilla (Co. 4:3) near its base. The
ceque then continued to an unidentified stone called Cuipan (Co. 4:4). The fifth and sixth shrines,
both called Ayavillay (Co. 4:5, Co. 4:6), were established on the hills of Huchuy Ayavillay and
Hatun Ayavillay at the southeast end of the Cuzco Valley, adjacent to the community of Cayra.
The next two huacas were called Raurao Quiran (Co. 4:7), a hill worshiped because of ils large size,
and Guancarcalla (Huancarcalla [Co. 4:8]), a gateway-like ravine, next to Co. 4:7. The most likely
candidates for these shrines are an Inca platform at the summit of Corihuayachina, the highest
mountain immediately southeast of Cuzco, and an unusual pair of terraces, on the mountain's slope,
through which the major trail of the region passes.
The final two shrines of the Co. 4 were two mountains called Sinayba (Sayhua [Co. 4:9]) and
Sumeuro (Sume Urco [Co. 4: 10]). Fieldwork identified an impressive mountain called Sayhua across
the valley from Quispicanchi that may represent Co. 4:9, however Sume Urco remains to be
identified.

The Fifth Ceque of Collasuyu

The location of the first shrine, Catonge, along Co. 5 (Figure 4, Table 2) is currently not known,
while the second, Membilla (Wimpillay) Puquiu, was beside the village of Wimpillay. The exact
positions of the third (Quinti Amaro), fourth (Cicacalla), and fifth (Ancas Amaro) shrines are
unknown. The hill of Taucaray and the village of Masca Huaylla contained the sixth and seventh
huacas of Co. 5. The next shrine, Inti Pampa (Co. 5:8), was most likely a large plain near Cayra
now called Inti Pata.
The location of Co. 5:9, the penultimate shrine of this ceque, characterized as a flat place called
Rondao facing Cacra, is problematic. While survey work found no such area near Cayra, there is a
small community called Rondo Bamba 5 km farther down the valley in an area traditionally
associated with Antisuyu. Since bamba (or pampa) may be translated as "flat area" there is a close
similarity between the name of this community and the name and description of Co. 5:9, even
though Rondo Bamba is situated a considerable distance from Cayra.
The final huaca, a mountain called Omoto Urco, has been found opposite the village of Quis-
picanche (Zuidema 1982a).

The Sixth Ceque of Collasuyu

The initial huaca of Co. 6 (Figure 4, Table 2), Tampucancha, like Co. 1:1, Co. 3:1, and Co. 3:2,
is described as near the house of Serra de Leguizamo. The second (Mama Colca), the third (Acoygua-
ci), the fourth ((2uiracoma), the fifth (Viracocha Cancha), and the sixth (Cuipan) shrines have not
been found. The seventh, the well known huaca of Huanacauri, is on a high ridge 11 km from
Cuzco.

The location of the succeeding huaca, Micay Puquiu (Co. 6:8), described as a spring on the road
to Pacariqtambo, is problematic since its name is nearly identical to that of Micaya Puquiu (Co. 1:

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 Bauer] RITUAL PATHWAYS OF THE INCA 195

Table 2. Short Descriptions of Ceques: Co. 4, Co. 5, and Co. 6.

Num-
ber Name Description Location Possible Identification

Co. 4:1 Pomapacha a sprlng where the houses of Sotelo were Puma Paccha
Co. 4:2 Taucaray a tomb in the field of Diego Maldonado near the hill of Tauca-
ray
Co. 4:3 Quispiquilla a sprlng in the said farm of Diego Mal- near Hacienda Quispi-
donado quilla
Co. 4:4 Cuipan a hill on the other side of Guanacauri unknown
Co. 4:5 Ayavillay a tomb Huchuy Ayavillay
Co. 4:6 Ayavillay certain stones on a hill which is opposite Cac- Hatun Ayavillay
ra
Co. 4:7 Raurao Qui- a large hill which they worshipped for its platform on Corihuaya-
ran great size china
Co. 4:8 Guancarcalla a rav1ne like a gateway next to the same terraces on Corihuaya-
hill china
Co. 4:9 Sinayba a large hill at the far end of Quispicanchi Sayhua Mountain
Co. 4:10 Sumeurco a hill next to the one above unknown
Co. 5:1 Catonge a stone by the house of Juan Sona unknown
Co. 5:2 Membilla Pu- a spring from which those of Membilla near Wimpillay
qUiU drank
Co. 5:3 Quintiamaro round stones in the town of Quijalla unknown
Co. 5:4 Cicacalla two stones in the same town unknown
Co. 5:5 Ancasamaro five stones in the same town unknown
Co. 5:6 Tocacaray a hill facing Quijalla Taucaray Hill
Co. 5:7 Mascaguaylla a fountain on the Guanacauri road village of Masca Huay-
lla
Co. 5:8 Intipampa a flat place next to Cacra Inti Pata
Co. 5:9 Rondao another flat place next to the royal road of Colla- village of Rondo Bam-
suyu, facing Cacra ba
Co. 5:10 Omotourco a small hill opposite Quispicanche in the Moto Urco
puna
Co. 6:1 Tampucancha a buhio the site of Mancio Serra's south of the Plaza de
house Armas
Co. 6:2 Mamacolca certain stones in Membilla unknown
Co. 6:3 Acoyguaci a house in Membilla unknown
Co. 6:4 Quiracoma a large stone in the flat place of Quicalla unknown
with four small
ones
Co. 6:5 Viracocha- five stones in the town of Quijalla unknown
cancha
Co. 6:6 Cuipan three stones in the flat place of Quicalla unknown
Co. 6:7 Huanacauri a hill two and a half leagues from Huanacauri Mountain
Cuzco

Co. 6:8 Micaypuquiu a fountain on the road to Tambo Macay Puquiu

Co. 6:9 Quiquijana a very small hill near Quiquijana River
Co. 6:10 Quizquipu- a small spring on a flat place near Cacra Quizqui Puquiu
quiu

5). As noted in the discussion of Co. 1:5, a large spring named Micay Puquiu is on the northern
slope of Huanacauri near the Cayra-Pacariqtambo trail (Figure 3).
The ninth shrine of this ceque, Quiquijana, may be located near the stream of Quiquijana, and
the last shrine, Quizque Puquiu (Co. 6:10), stood on a mountain slope still called Quizque.

The Seventh Ceque of Collasuyu

The seventh ceque of Collasuyu (Figure 5, Table 3) ran from an unidentified shrine called San-
tocollo (Co. 7:1), to near the site of Qotakalla (Co. 7:2), and then crossed through a large ravine
called Chachaquiray (Co. 7:3) to the community of Huilcarpay (i.e., Vircaypay [Co. 7:4]). The fifth

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 *- Shrine Location

*- Area of Shrine

*- Possible Area of Shrine

Figure 5. Suggested courses of ceques Co. 7, Co. 8, and Co. 9.

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Bauer] RITUAL PATHWAYS OF THE INCA 197

huaca, Matoro, is characterized as a mountain slope near Huanacauri that contained ancient build-
ings (Cobo 1979: 109 [1653 :Book 12, Chapter 4]; de Molina 1989: 10S101 [1575]; Sarmiento de
Gamboa 1906:38 [1572:Book 13]). There is a small village called Matao on Huanacauri that has
been associated with Matoro (or Matahua) since the 1940s (Rowe 1944:43), and an archaeological
site was found on the slope above this settlement that may mark the ancient shrine of Co. 7:5.
The sixth huaca, Vilcaray (Huilcarpay?) Puquiu has not been found. The next to last shrine of
this ceque, Uspa (Ushpa [Co. 7:7]) was on a large plain above Cayra called Ushpa, and the final
shrine, Guamanca (Huananca) Puquiu (Co. 7:8), may be related to Huanca Puquiu, approximately
2 km from Ushpa.

The Eighth Ceque of Collasuyu

The course of Co. 8 (Figure 5, Table 3) remains speculative since few of its shrines have been
identified. The first huaca, Sanca Cancha, was on a house lot belonging to Juan de Figueroa. Garcilaso
de la Vega (1989:424 [1609:Book 7, Chapter 9]) suggests that the house of Figueroa was between
the Cori Cancha and an area known as Puca Marca, south of the Plaza de Armas. This location is
problematic since it is situated, according to the other huacas in the system, in Chinchaysuyu. One
could suggest that Figueroa owned more than one house lot, except that Ch. 7: 1 is described as a
stone in Figueroa's house, and the following huaca, Ch. 7:2, is also listed as Sanca Cancha. At this
time, it seems best to suggest that the writer of the original huaca list may have confused the Sanca
Cancha in Collasuyu with one in Chinchaysuyu (J. H. Rowe, personal communication 1991).
The exact positions of the second, Guancha (Huanchac) Pacha, the third huaca (Mudca), and the
fourth (Chuqui Marca) are unknown. The fifth shrine, Cuicosa, has been identified as a group of
stones on a hill called Cuicus, southeast of Huanacauri (Figure 6). The sixth huaca of this line is
listed as Coapa Puquiu, a spring next to the hill of Huanacauri. While fieldwork provided no
additional data on this shrine, a 1595 reference to a spring called Cuapacha in this general area was
found (Archivo del Ministerio de Agricultura, Cuzco 1656). Accordindy it is possible that the
Relacion de las huacas contains a transcription error and the name ofthe huaca should be Cuapa[cha]
Puquiu. The seventh (Puquin) and eighth (no name given by Cobo) shrines of this ceque remain to
be identified.

The Ninth Ceque of Collasuyu

The first shrine of Co. 9 (Figure 5, Table 3), Tampu Cancha, is reported to be next to the Temple
of the Sun. The second shrine, Tancar Vilca, is described as a stone situated in a flat place owned
by Antonio Pereira. Garcilaso de la Vega (1989:430 [1609:Book 7, Chapter 11]) indicates that the
house of Antonio Pereira was south of his father's house, and that the house of Alonso de Toro
stood near that of Antonio Pereira. This is noteworthy since Cobo writes that the third shrine of
this ceque, Pactaguanui, was a flat place belonging to Alonso Toro. Gutierrez et al. (1981: 178, 180)
have found archival evidence suggesting that Toro's house was near the corner of San Bernardo and
Marques streets, and that Antonio Pereira's house stood next to it (J. H. Rowe, personal commu-
nication 1992). Although it is unclear in Cobo's description whether Co. 9:3 was located on a house
lot, or on another piece of land owned by Toro, the proximity of Pereira's and Toro's houses suggest
that these shrines may have been in Cuzco near the homes of these conquistadors. The tentative
positions of these huacas are surprising since they appear to be northwest of the Temple of the Sun,
in Chinchaysuyu. Alternatively, since the huaca list does not specifically mention the houses of
either of these men, these huacas could have been elsewhere in Collasuyu (J. H. Rowe, personal
communication 1991).
The fourth shrine, Quica Puquiu, seems to have been on the Cuzco side of Wimpillay, and the
fifth, Tampu Vilca, was the round hill currently called Muyu Urco beside Wimpillay. There is a
transcription error in the name of the n¢xt shrine, Chacapa (Co. 9:6), which should be recorded as
Chacapahua; the name of a flat area of land approximately 3 km south of Wimpillay.
The seventh shrine of Co. 9, Chinchay Puquiu, remains to be identified, while the eighth, Guarmi
(Huarmi) Chaca Puquiu, was associated with two or three closely spaced bridges southeast of Cuzco

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198 LATIN AMERICAN ANTIQUITY [Vol. 3, No. 3, 1992

Table 3. Short Descriptions of Ceques: Co. 7, Co. 8, and Co. 9.

Num-
ber Name Description Location Possible Identification

Co. 7:1 Santocollo a flat place down from the field of Francis- unknown
co Moreno
Co. 7:2 Cotacalla a stone on the royal road near the town the site of Qotacalla
of Quicalla
Co. 7:3 Chachaquiray another stone not far from the one above Chajchacaray Ravine
Co. 7:4 Vircaypay a flat place Huilcarpay
Co. 7:5 Matoro a slope near Guanacauri where there Near Matao
were some ancient buildings
Co. 7:6 Vilcaraypu- a sprlng near the said slope Huilcarpay River?
qUiU

Co. 7:7 Uspa a great flat place near Guanacauri Ushpa

a spring
. .

Co. 7:8 Guamanca- ln a ravlne Huanca Puquiu

puquiu

Co. 8:1 Sancacancha a prlson on the house lot of [Juan de] Fi- south of the Plaza de
gueroa Armas
Co. 8:2 Guanchapacha a field which belonged to Diego Mal- in Huancha
donado
Co. 8:3 Mudca a stone pillar on a small hill near Membilla near Wimpillay
Co. 8:4 Chuquimarca a small hill next to Guanacauri near Huanacauri
Co. 8:5 Cuicosa three round on a hill so named, next to Cuicus Mountain
stones Guanacauri
Co. 8:6 Coapapuquiu a certain spring next to the same hill of Guana- unknown
cauri
Co. 8:7 Puquin another spring next to the one mentioned unknown
above
Co. 8:8 a ravlne next to Guanacauri unknown
Co. 9:1 Tampucancha a seat next to the Temple of the Sun near the Temple of the
Sun
Co. 9:2 Tancarvilca a small round in the house lot of Don Antonio west of the Plaza de
stone [Pereira] Armas?
Co. 9:3 Pactaguanui a flat place which belonged to Alonso de west of the Plaza de
Toro Armas?
Co. 9:4 Quicapuquiu a sprlng this side of Membilla unknown
Co. 9:5 Tampuvilca a round hill next to Membilla Muyu Orco
Co. 9:6 Chacapa a flat place on that end of Membilla Chacapahua
Co. 9:7 Chinchaypu- a spring in a town of this name unknown
qUiU

Co. 9:8 Guarmichaca another spring farther up in a ravine next to Huarmi Chaca
Puquiu Guanacauri
Co. 9:9 Cupaychangiri another spring next to the one above beside Inca Racay
Puquiu
Co. 9: 1 0 Quillo five stones on a hill of this name near Quello
Guanacauri
Co. 9:1 1 Cachaocachiri three stones on another small hill so named unknown
Co. 9:12 Quiropiray a large stone on top of the hill of this name unknown
Co. 9:13 Puncu a hill Puncu

called Huarmi Chaca (Rowe 1944:43). The ninth shrine, Cupaychangiri Puquiu, is described as
being near Huarmi Chaca Puquiu. Approximately one-half kilometer upstream from Huarmi Chaca
is a set of Inca structures called Inca Racay (Rowe 1944:42-43). A florescence of springs at the foot
of these ruins is a good candidate for Co. 9:9.
The tenth shrine of this ceque, Quillo, is characterized as a set of stones on a hill near Huanacauri.
Approximately 4 km to the southwest of Huanacauri is a towering outcrop called Quello (Figure
7). Although it is located a considerable distance from the apparent course ofthis ceque, this outcrop
is the best known possibility for Co. 9:10. Our survey found no clear evidence of the eleventh

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Bauer] RITUAL PATHWAYS OF THE INCA 199

Figure 6. The hill of Cuicus (Co. 8:5).

(Cachaocachiri) or the twelfth (Quiropiray) shrine of this ceque, however, the final huaca was a
narrow pass called Puncu, located a short distance from the ruins of Inca Racay.

SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION

Figure 8 illustrates the approximate projections of the 9 ceques of Collasuyu, as defined by the
locations of their respective shrines. The map shows a series of lines radiating out from various
locations near the center of Cuzco. The first ceque, Co 1, appears to have traveled down the Cuzco

Figure 7. The outcrop of Quello (Co. 9:10).

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 *- Shrine Location

*- Area ot Shrine

*- Possible Area ot Shrine

Figure 8. Suggested courses of Collasuyu ceques (Co. l-Co. 9).

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Bauer] RITUAL PATHWAYS OF THE INCA 201

Valley toward the Angostura, while the ninth ceque ran along the base of the ridge of Anahuarqui.
The seven other ceques of Collasuyu filled the territory between these two lines. This ground
documentation of the Collasuyu ceques suggests that ceques of the Cuzco system were lines, direc-
tions, or paths that radiated from the city of Cuzco, the courses of which were defined by the
locations of various shrines within specific segments of the landscape. Since the ceques do not
generally cross over one another, their zigzagging courses appear to have been defined by, or to
have been confined within, pie-shaped segments of the countryside. These new data challenge a
number of assumptions in early models of the system that need to be discussed in greater detail.

The Projection of the Ceques from the Cori Cancha

In his introductory statement to the Relacion de las huacas, Cobo wrote that the ceques of Cuzco
radiated out from the Cori Cancha. Most subsequent research on the system has uncritically accepted
this statement and has illustrated the ceques as projecting, like spokes of a wheel, from this temple.
Data from Collasuyu suggest this may be true for some, but not all of the ceques, since the initial
shrines of several lines appear to be located to the north, northeast, and northwest of the Cori
Cancha (Figure 1). For example, a number of huacas, including Co. 1: 1 (Pururauca), Co. 3: 1 (Tampu
Cancha), Co. 3:2 (Pampa Sona), Co. 6:1 (Tampu Cancha), and Co. 8:1 (Sanca Cancha) may have
been situated between the Temple of the Sun and the Plaza de Armas in an area that, according to
the distribution of other huacas in the system, was located in Chinchaysuyu. In addition, it is
possible that Co. 9:2 (Tancar Vilca) and Co. 9:3 (Pactaguanui) were located to the northwest of the
temple in what may also have been Chinchaysuyu. Furthermore, the shrine of Puma Pacha (Co. 4:
1 ) has been found far from the first shrines of the other Collasuyu ceques. The probable location of
this shrine, north of Lima Pampa and east of the Plaza de Armas, on the edge of the ancient city
of Cuzco, places it in Antisuyu. It should be noted, however, that these suggested locations, with
the exception of Puma Pacha, have been developed from information extracted from Garcilaso de
la Vega's description of Colonial Cuzco, and need to be confirmed through additional historical
research.

Problematic Huaca Locations and Errors

Several huacas appear to be situated a considerable distance from the general orientation of the
ceques on which they are listed. These shrines present complicating factors in the study of the Cuzco
ceque system (Figure 8). For example, the spring of Micay Puquiu may be the shrine of Micaya
Puquiu (Co. 1:5), and the village of Acpita may be related to the huaca Cobo calls Atpitan (Co. 1:
6). These two possible shrines are, however, located 6-8 km south of the Cuzco Valley, well away
from the general course of Co. 1. Other problematic huacas include the area of Rondo Bamba,
which may represent the shrine of Rondao (Co. 5:9) and the large outcrop of Quello, which is a
good candidate for Quillo (Co. 9:10). There are several possible explanations for these unusual
observations. If these are the correct locations, then the individual ceques may have curved or double
back to include them on their course. It is also possible, however, that these loci do not represent
the huacas described in the Relacion de las huacas as Co. 1:5, Co. 1:6, Co. 5:9, and Co. 9:10, and
that four other shrines, perhaps now destroyed, with similar names were located along the general
orientation of the respective ceques. A third explanation suggests that the identified places were
indeed shrines in the ceque system, but they are listed on the wrong ceques.
Field and archival research has found a number of possible recording errors in the Relacion de
las huacas. One shrine, Micay Puquiu, appears to be listed on two widely separate ceques: Co. 1:5
(Micaya Puquiu) and Co. 6:8 (Micay Puquiu).s In addition, it seems that the original author of the
Relacion de las huacas may have confused a Sanca Cancha (Co. 8:1) in Collasuyu with a second
Sancha Cancha in Chinchaysuyu (Ch. 7:2). Furthermore, it has been noted that there are a number
of transcription errors in Cobo's version of the Relacion de las huacas. For example, in the case of
Chacapa (Co. 9:6) it is clear that Cobo mistranscribed the name of the huaca from the older text
he was using, leaving oF the last three letters of the huaca's name: Chacapa[hua].
These observations indicate numerous internal inconsistencies, if not errors, exist in Cobo's

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202 LATIN AMERICAN ANTIQUITY [Vol. 3, No. 3, 1992

documentation of the ceques. Future archaeological and historical studies concerning the form and
function of the Cuzco ceque system should proceed with the idea that Cobo's work may be an
incomplete, and perhaps inaccurate in parts, description of the system as a whole.

The Ceques as Straight Lines

Most current models of the ceque system assume that the ceques radiated out from Cuzco in
straight lines. This research challenges this general assumption by documenting angles in every
ceque of Collasuyu. Three cases serve as examples. The second ceque of Collasuyu appears to have
projected out from Cuzco in a relatively straight line but then turned southward after the shrine of
Tuino Urco (Co. 2:6) to the area of Palpancay (Co. 2:7). A second example of an angle in a ceque
occurs along the projection of Co. 5. This ceque is listed as proceeding southeast from the hill of
Taucaray (Tocacary [Co. 5:6]) to the village of Masca Guaylla (Co. 5:7). From Masca Guaylla the
ceque turned northeast to the shnne of Inti Pata (Inti Pampa [Co. 5:8]). A third case is that of Co.
6 as it bends northwards from Huanacaun (Co. 6:7) and Micay Puquiu (Co. 6:8) to the area of
Quiquijana (Co. 6:9).
Zuidema (1977a, 1982b, 1982c, 1990) suggests that some of the ceques of the Cuzco region were
used as astronomical sight lines and illustrates possible courses for a number of them. Similarly,
Sherbondy (1982,1986) and Van der Guchte (1984,1990), who have conducted their own fieldwork
in the Cuzco region, suggest that the ceques formed straight lines and produce maps showing possible
ceque courses in Chinchaysuyu and Antisuyu. The data recovered in this study do not support the
belief that many of the Cuzco ceques formed straight lines. Instead, the courses of the ceques of
Collasuyu appear to be analogous to the zigzagging lines suggested by Niles (1987) for the fourth,
fifth, and sixth ceques of Antisuyu. This is not to say, however, that certain huacas were not used
as sighting points for astronomical events. The Relacion de las huacas clearly states that Quiangalla
(Ch. 6:9), Sucanca (Ch. 7:8), and Chinchincalla (Cu. 13:3) marked important sunsets for the Inca,
and there may be other alignments that are not explicitly mentioned in the document.
These research findings demonstrate our imperfect understanding of the system as a whole.
Continued ethnographic, histoncal, and archaeological research is needed to identify the locations
of the huacas and ceques in other suyus of the Cuzco region. The results of these studies will
quantitatively and qualitatively expand the corpus of information on this uniquely important ntual
system. Through an expansion of our knowledge concerning the physical makeup of the huacas and
the actual orientations of the ceques across the Cuzco region, new research questions on the orga-
nization of Inca society at the time of the Spanish conquest can be posed and addressed. Despite
the fact that nearly 30 years have past since Zuidema's first insights into the ceque system were
published, archaeological studies of this complex system of indigenous ntual expressions are still
just beginning.

Acknowledgments. This work has profited by critical readings provided by Tom Dillehay, Paul Goldstein,
John Hyslop, Martina Munsters, Jack Rossen, Prudence Rice, Helaine Silverman, Charles Stanish, Karen Wise,
and one anonymous reviewer. Detailed information concerning historical documents pertaining to the ceque
system have also been provided by John H. Rowe. I am also grateful to R. Tom Zuidema and Anthony Aveni
who have given advice and information at all stages of the project. Major funding for the project has been
provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Skaggs Foundation, The Guttman Foundation,
The Institute for New World Archaeology, and the University of Chicago Housing System. Additional support
was provided by Brunton U. S. A. and Fuji U. S. A. Field and archival research was conducted by Wilton
Barrionuevo Orosco, Luis Guevara Carazas, Margarita Castro, Silvia Flores Delago, Jose Luis Mendoza, and
Nancy Orr.

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NOTES

s Surveys cuITently are being conducted in the Chinchaysuyu, Antisuyu, and Cuntisuyu areas of the Cuzco
region. The preliminary results of these surveys support the findings presented here.
2 Detailed descriptions of each huaca of Collasuyu and their precise locations are available in Bauer (1991).
Descriptions of the shrines of Chinchaysuyu, Antisuyu, and Cuntisuyu are contained in Bauer (1992).
3 I offer, however, a number of different spellings for Quechua words found in the Relacion de las huacas. In
these cases, the alternative spellings appear in parentheses beside the words as they appear in Cobo's document.
For example, Pirpoypacha (Lirpuy Pacha) and Guanipata (Huanay Pata). I have also divided marly of the
toponyms into individual words such as Limapampa (Lima Pampa) and Caribamba (Cari Bamba) to render
the Quechua words more recognizable to the reader. Common Quechua words included in the text are: cancha
= enclosure, chaca = bridge, cori = gold, guayra (huayra) = wind, guaylla (huaylla) = meadow, inti = sun,
mayo = river, pacha [sic] for paccha = waterfall, pata = flat or teITaced area, puncu = doorway or pass, puquiu
or puquEo = spring, and urco = mountain. It should also be noted that pampa and bamba are alternative spellings
for the same Quechua word meaning a flat place, and that the English and Spanish plural form "s" is used in
this text rather than the Quechua form (kuna or cuna).
4 Also see Co. 6:8.
5 It should be noted that Co. 3: 1, Co. 6: 1, and Co. 9:1 are all called Tampu Cancha.

Received September 12, 1991; accepted February 26, 1992

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