tribal confederation · South America

Chanka Confederation

1100 CE – 1438 CE (approx.)

A confederation of highland peoples whose attack on Cusco, according to Inca tradition, triggered the rise of the Inca Empire.

Origins

The Chanka, or Chanca, occupied the highlands of Apurímac and Ayacucho, west of Cusco, after the collapse of the Wari Empire. From around 1100 they lived in fortified hilltop settlements and formed a loose confederation of chiefdoms based around Andahuaylas.

Rule and society

Archaeology shows small fortified villages on high ridges rather than a centralised state, suggesting a warlike society of local chiefs who joined forces for war. They herded llamas and alpacas and farmed tubers. Chanka groups claimed descent from the lake of Choclococha and worshipped mountain spirits. The Chanka are remembered chiefly through Inca tradition, which portrayed them as fierce rivals.

Decline and legacy

According to Inca accounts, around 1438 the Chanka besieged Cusco. Prince Cusi Yupanqui defeated them, took the name Pachacuti and began the expansion that created the Inca Empire. Historians now treat this story partly as Inca propaganda. The Chanka were absorbed into the empire.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Chanka Confederation. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chanka-confederation
MLA
“Chanka Confederation.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chanka-confederation. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Chanka Confederation.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chanka-confederation.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Chanka Confederation’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chanka-confederation (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻