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ΕλληνικάINITIAL ATLAS · DIVISIONS AND REGIONS
Map of Pre-Inca Cultures
Atlas of Pre-Inca Cultures
Discover seven different Andean cultures that existed before Inca rule.
Museum documentation · free public access, no account required.
Editorial visualisation · Contextual correspondence
Declared editorial visualisation, based on the cartography and sources of the fact sheet; it is not an exact historical frontier.
History and context
The map begins at Caral-Supe and allows progression through seven phases. Documented places — Caral, Chavín de Huántar, Tiwanaku, Chan Chan — appear only when they help to read the active period.
Caral, Chavín, Nazca, Moche, Tiwanaku, Wari and Chimú had different territories, languages and chronologies.
Evidence and interpretation
The coast is derived from Natural Earth. The layers distinguish origin, core, direct control, influence, networks, disputed territories and external domains; they are approximate curatorial envelopes, not modern borders. The faint outline preserves the previous phase to make each expansion, contraction or absorption visible. Caral, Chavín, Nazca, Moche, Tiwanaku, Wari and Chimú had different territories, languages and chronologies.
Catalogue facts
- Reading mode
- Regions and groups without a single frontier
- Sequence
- 7 phases · Caral-Supe (ca. 3000–1800 BCE) → Chavín and Early Horizon (ca. 1200–400 BCE) → Nazca and Moche (ca. 200 BCE–600 CE) → Wari and Tiwanaku (ca. 500–1000 CE) → Post-Wari reconfiguration (ca. 1000–1200 CE) → Chimor and Chan Chan (ca. 900–1470 CE) → Inca conquest of Chimor (ca. 1470 CE)
- Nodes
- Caral (≈3000–1800 BCE) · Chavín de Huántar (≈1200–400 BCE) · Tiwanaku (≈400–1000 CE) · Chan Chan (≈900–1470 CE)
- Range
- Approximate regional area of Caral-Supe.
- Caution
- Caral, Chavín, Nazca, Moche, Tiwanaku, Wari and Chimú had different territories, languages and chronologies.
A closer look
About 1 min to read · 1 section. Further reading and sources · free access. Editorial review recorded: .
Date places, not colour a single empire
The investigations at Kuntur Wasi distinguish an Idol phase, approximately between 1200 and 800 BCE, a Kuntur Wasi phase between 800 and 500 BCE, and a Cup phase, 500–250 BCE. The oldest temple underwent several reconstructions, while the burials with gold belong to a later phase. These intervals allow comparison of what was happening simultaneously at other centres. The areas of the map represent approximate fields of research and interaction; the sequence of a building cannot be automatically extended to the whole Andean region.
- Research · Saitama University · Kinya Inokuchi's Research on Kuntur WasiAccess recorded: .
Location and territory
REGIONAL AREA
Coast, highlands and Altiplano: seven areas and overlapping chronologies, not a frontier nor a single civilisationCoast, highlands and Altiplano: seven areas and overlapping chronologies, not a frontier nor a single civilisation. The footprint marks the orientative centre of the realm, not a frontier nor an exact point.TERRITORIAL ATLAS · REAL GEOGRAPHY · CHANGING EXTENT
Atlas of Pre-Inca Cultures
Seven Andean constellations, not a single civilisation
Monumental centres are articulated in Supe and neighbouring valleys; they are not the unique nor direct origin of all later Andean societies.
WHAT CHANGES · OriginA nucleus of monumental centres emerges in Supe and the north-central coast, connected by valleys before the great horizons.
- 01 · Caral≈3000–1800 BCEMonumental urbanism in the Supe Valley.
Caral, Chavín, Nazca, Moche, Tiwanaku, Wari and Chimú had different territories, languages and chronologies.
Documentation for every period
The map is interactive. The full chronology is also available below without using any controls.
c. 3000–1800 BCE · Caral-Supe
Monumental centres are articulated in Supe and neighbouring valleys; they are not the unique nor direct origin of all later Andean societies.
Origin · A nucleus of monumental centres emerges in Supe and the north-central coast, connected by valleys before the great horizons.
- Supe Valley and north-central coast · c. 3000–1800 BCE
Approximate regional area of Caral-Supe.
Probable
c. 1200–400 BCE · Chavín and Early Horizon
Chavín de Huántar connects pilgrimage and images across distinct regions; iconographic diffusion does not demonstrate a territorial empire.
Expansion · Chavín articulates a religious and material network much wider across the Andes and coast, without uniform state control.
- Chavín de Huántar · c. 1200–400 BCE
Highland core and nearby corridors.
Probable - Chavín influence network · Early Horizon
Envelope of shared repertoires, not a political frontier.
Debated
c. 200 BCE–600 CE · Nazca and Moche
Nazca and Moche flourish in parallel in separate valleys; they are not stages of the same coastal state.
Fragmentation · The pan-regional network fragments into distinct coastal developments, including the Moche and Nazca valleys.
- Moche valleys · ca. 100–800 CE
North coast valleys under changing polities.
Probable - Nazca valleys · ca. 100 BCE–800 CE
South coast valleys, not a continuous frontier.
Probable
c. 500–1000 CE · Wari and Tiwanaku
Two contemporary powers reorganise distinct regions; their zones of contact and control remain debated.
Expansion · Two great spheres, Wari and Tiwanaku, incorporate highland and altiplano corridors with differing degrees of dominance.
- Wari sphere · ca. 600–1000 CE
Approximate administrative and influence envelope.
Probable - Tiwanaku sphere · c. 500–1000 CE
Altiplano and colonies of unequal reach.
Probable
c. 1000–1200 CE · Post-Wari reconfiguration
After the loss of the great Wari and Tiwanaku centres, regional kingdoms and lordships reorganise landscapes and networks.
Fragmentation · As both spheres retreat, the territory returns to a mosaic of coastal, highland and altiplano polities.
- Coastal polities · c. 1000–1200 CE
Coastal mosaic, not a single state.
Probable - Highland and altiplano polities · c. 1000–1200 CE
Mosaic of kingdoms and communities.
Probable
c. 900–1470 CE · Chimor and Chan Chan
Chimor expands its control along the north coast from Chan Chan; tributary valleys and the administrative nucleus had distinct degrees of integration.
Expansion · Chimor concentrates several north-coast valleys from Chan Chan and gradually expands its longitudinal control.
- Kingdom of Chimor · c. 900–1470 CE
Maximum approximate coastal envelope.
Probable
c. 1470 CE · Inca conquest of Chimor
The Tawantinsuyu incorporates Chimor; the new colour marks political domination, not the immediate disappearance of communities, workshops or Chimú memories.
Absorption · The Inca conquest incorporates Chimor into the Tawantinsuyu, although it retains local populations and administrators.
- North coast incorporated into the Tawantinsuyu · from ca. 1470 CE
Epilogue of Inca absorption, outside a supposed unitary pre-Inca civilisation.
Probable
Documented places
- Caral · ≈3000–1800 BCE
Monumental urbanism in the Supe Valley.
- Chavín de Huántar · ≈1200–400 BCE
Ritual centre and interregional networks.
- Tiwanaku · ≈400–1000 CE
Contemporary highland city, not identical to Wari.
- Chan Chan · ≈900–1470 CE
Capital of Chimor on the north coast.
Routes and contacts
- Documented historical connection
- Documented historical connection
- Documented historical connection
Caral, Chavín, Nazca, Moche, Tiwanaku, Wari and Chimú had different territories, languages and chronologies.
Sources and references
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