The Inca state lined the Qhapaq Ñan with tampu (waystations offering lodging and provisions) and ranked rows of qollqa (storehouses) on cool, ventilated hillsides. Round and rectangular qollqa, built in their hundreds at centres such as Huanuco Pampa, held maize, freeze-dried potato (chuño), textiles and arms drawn from mit'a labour. Sited to exploit altitude and airflow, they preserved staples for years and buffered the empire against harvest failure and war. Quipu accounts tracked their contents.
This distributed logistics network let the state move and stockpile surplus across a vast mountain territory, decoupling consumption from local harvests. The storehouse precincts were a defining element of planned Inca administrative centres.
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