kingdom · South America
Lupaca Kingdom
Origins
After the collapse of Tiwanaku, Aymara-speaking groups formed several kingdoms around Lake Titicaca. The Lupaca, or Lupaqa, emerged by the 12th century on the southwestern shore of the lake in present-day Peru, with Chucuito as their capital, and became rivals of the Colla Kingdom to the north.
Rule and society
The Lupaca kingdom had two paramount lords, reflecting the Andean division into upper and lower halves, and was divided into seven provinces. Its wealth lay in vast herds of llamas and alpacas. The Lupaca controlled colonies in the warm Pacific valleys of Moquegua and Sama, where they grew maize and cotton, a pattern called the vertical archipelago. Fortified hilltop towns called pukaras reflect frequent warfare.
Decline and legacy
The Lupaca under their lord Cari defeated the Colla around 1450 and allied with the Inca ruler Viracocha Inca. They were absorbed into the Inca Empire under Pachacuti. A Spanish inspection of Chucuito in 1567 by Garci Diez de San Miguel is a major source on their society.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (1)
- Lupaca Kingdom was a vassal of Inca Empire1450 CE – 1533 CE
More states of South America →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lupaca Kingdom. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lupaca-kingdom
- MLA
- “Lupaca Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lupaca-kingdom. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Lupaca Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lupaca-kingdom.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lupaca Kingdom’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lupaca-kingdom (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻