Conflict: | Colla-Inca War |
Partof: | the Inca expansion |
Place: | Altiplano |
Date: | 1445-1450 |
Result: | Inca victory
|
Combatant1: | Inca Empire |
Combatant2: | Colla Kingdom |
Commander1: | Pachacuti |
Commander2: | Chuchi Capac |
Units1: | 12,000 fighters |
Units2: | 14,000 fighters |
Casualties1: | 500 dead |
Casualties2: | 6,000 dead |
The Colla-Inca War was a military conflict fought between the Inca Empire and the Colla Kingdom between 1445 and 1450.[1] It is one of the first wars of conquest led by Pachacuti.
It established Inca dominance in the Andean Altiplano, and made the Inca an important entity in the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes.[2] [3]
The Inca state had acquired geo-political importance in the Andes following their victory over the Chanka. However the Inca needed to conquer the Colla Kingdom, before they could continue north.[4]
Sources disagree on the exact causes of the war.[5]
Around 1445, the Inca armies marched into Colla territory. The Colla chief waited for the Inca forces at the town of Ayaviri. A battle ensued, which the Inca won. The colla chief, Chuchic Capac, was captured, and his territories were annexed into the Inca Empire.[6] [7]
Following the battle, Pachacuti traveled to the Colla capital, Hatuncolla.[8] There he organized the Inca administration, and ordered the construction of forts. Following the Inca invasion, the neighboring Lupaca chiefdom also submitted. During the campaign, Pachacuti visited the ruins of Tiahuanaco.[9]
The war established Inca dominance in the region, and set the groundwork for further conquests to the south.[10]