List of wars involving the Inca Empire explained

This is a list of wars involving the Inca Empire (1438–1535), as well as its predecessors the Kingdom of Cusco, Chimor, the Tiwanaku Empire, and the Wari Empire.

Pre-Cusco period

!Conflict!Combatant 1!Combatant 2!Results

Wari Empire expansion campaigns^[1] ^[2] ^[3] (7th-10th century)	Wari Empire Huarpas	Caxamarca cultureLambayeque cultureLima cultureMoche cultureNazca cultureRecuay culture	Wari victory The Wari culture is consolidated as the 1st pan-andean empire, controlling Ancient Peru from modern Lambayeque to Moquegua. Andean civilizations enters to the Middle Horizon in the Periodization of pre-Columbian Peru.
Wari invasion of Moquegua^[4] (10th/11th century)	Wari Empire	Tiwanaku Empire	Wari victory Moquegua is destroyed. Decline of both empires.
Wari internal conflicts^[5] (12th century)	Wari Empire	Rebel forces Foreign Invaders	The empire is fragmented into Sican Kingdom, Chimu Kingdom, Chancay culture, Tallán lordship, Chincha culture, Chachapoya culture, Huaylas Lordship, Cajamarca Kingdom, Huanca kingdom, Collique lordship.
Aymara invasions to Tiawanaku^[6] (12th century)	Tiwanaku Empire	Aymaras	Aymara victory The Aymaras managed to gain the entire Andean plateau (modern Bolivia) for themselves, meanwhile the Tiahuanacos were forced to emigrate to the north (modern Southern Peru). Some Tiawanaku royal Ayllus establish on Cuzco and found the Inca lordship.
Tiawanku civil war^[7] ^[8] (12th century)	Tiwanaku Empire	Rebel forces	The empire is fragmented into Aymara regional states, among which the Colla kingdom, the Lupaca kingdom and the Pacajes kingdom stand out. Andean civilizations enters to the Late Intermediate in the Periodization of pre-Columbian Peru.
Chimu conquest of Sican(1375)	Chimu Empire	Sican Kingdom	Sican is turned into a province of the Chimu kingdom.

Kingdom of Cusco

!Conflict!Allies!War against!Results!Head of State

Conquest of the Ayaviri(13th century)	Kingdom of Cusco	Ayaviris	Inca Victory	Lloque Yupanqui
Battle of Huaychu(13th century)	Kingdom of Cusco	Colla Kingdom	Inca Victory	Mayta Cápac
Rebellion of the Mascas^[9] (14th century)	Kingdom of Cusco	Mascas	Inca Victory The leader of the Masca people, Guasi Guaca, is taken prisoner.	Inca Roca
Rebellion of the Muyna and the Pinahua(14th century)	Kingdom of Cusco	Muyna Pinahua	Inca Victory Death of Muyna Pongo, Muyna leader. Flight of Guaman Tupa, Pinahua leader.	Inca Roca

Inca Empire (1438–1535)

!Conflict!Allies!War against!Results!Head of State

Chanka–Inca War(1438–1440)	Inca Empire	Chanka Kingdom	Inca Victory Beginning of the Third Inca Expansion.	Viracocha IncaPachacuti
Inca-Chincha war(1440–1460)	Inca Empire	Chincha Lordship	Inca Victory	Pachacuti
Conquest of the towns of Collao(1445–1505)	Inca Empire	Collao towns Aymara kingdoms Diaguita Huarpes Omaguacas Atacamas Comechingones Guaycuru peoples Chichas	Inca Victory• Quechuanization of the Collao	PachacutiTopa Inca YupanquiHuayna Capac
Huarco-Inca War^[10] (1450s)	Inca Empire	Huarco Confederation	Inca Victory After 5 years of war, the Huarco leaders are massively hanged in the Canchari Fortress. The Incas kills all the princes of Huarco.	PachacutiTopa Inca Yupanqui
Rebellion of the Ayarmacas(1460s)	Inca Empire	Ayarmacas	Inca Victory The Ayarmaca curaca is taken prisoner.	PachacutiTopa Inca Yupanqui
Conquest of the Cajamarcas^[11] (1460s)	Inca Empire	CaxamarcasChimu Empire	Inca Victory The Cajamarca leader Husmancu Cápac, with his Chimú Cápac ally, are taken as prisoners and died on Cuzco. Casus belli for the Chimor–Inca War.	Pachacuti
Conquest of the Chimú Empire(1470)	Inca Empire	Chimu Empire	Inca Victory Inca sack of Chan Chan. The treasures are used to decoy the Coricancha The Chimu leader Minchancaman is taken prisoner End of Chimu hegemony on North Peru. Consolidation of Inca hegemony on Ancient Peru.	PachacutiTopa Inca Yupanqui
Guaraní invasions(1470–1554)	Inca Empire (until 1533) Neo-Inca State (since 1537)	Tupi-Guaraní peopleSupported by (since 1522)	Inca Pirric Victory Guarani sacks successfully the Inca domains, but are expelled.	PachacutiTopa Inca YupanquiHuayna Capac
Mapuche-Inca War(1471–1530)	Inca Empire	Mapuches Picunche	Inca Pirric Victory The Mapuches of the south of the Maule River maintain their independence. Border conflicts will continue on the Arauco War	Topa Inca YupanquiHuayna Capac
Conquest of the Chachapoyas(1472)	Inca Empire	Chachapoya culture	Inca Victory Incan attempts to make an Ethnocide to Chachapoyas by forcing them to be a Diaspora or being part of the Inca army.	Topa Inca Yupanqui
Rebellion of the Chimú(1475)^[12]	Inca Empire	Chimor	Inca Victory Execution of the Chimú leader.	Topa Inca Yupanqui
Conquest of the peoples of the northern Andes(1490–1520)	Inca Empire	Northern Andes Peoples Chachapoyas Cañaris Quitus Cochasquí Cayambi Caranquis Peruchos Otavalos Puruhá Pastos	Inca Victory The Incas beheaded the Caranquis, near the Yahuarcocha lagoon (blood lagoon), killing 2000-20000 people.	Topa Inca YupanquiHuayna Capac
Inca civil war(1529–1532)	Huascarist	Atahualpist	Atahualpa Victory	Huáscar
Spanish Conquest of the Inca Empire(1532–1572) Conquest of Bolivia Conquest of Chile Conquest of Ecuador 2nd Inca-Spanish War Manco Inca Rebellion Titu Cusi's Vilcabamba campaign Tupac Amaru I's Vilcabamba campaign	Inca Empire (until 1535) Neo-Inca State (since 1537)	Spanish Empire New Castile New Toledo Indian auxiliaries Huancas Chankas Cañaris Huaylas Chachapoyas Huascarist Incas Catholicized Inca nobility Neo-Inca State (1533–1536) Tlaxcaltecas^[13] Nicaraguas^[14]	Spanish Victory Establishment of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Spanish monarchs gets the right of succession of the Sapa Incas monarchy (Reynos del Perú) through Translatio imperii.	AtahualpaIncas of Vilcabamba

Notes and References

1. Tung . Tiffiny . 2007 . Trauma and Violence in the Wari Empire of the Peruvian Andes: Warfare, Raids, and Ritual Fights . . 133 . 3 . 941–956 . 10.1002/ajpa.20565 . 17506491.
2. Schreiber . Katharina J. . April 1987 . Conquest and Consolidation: A Comparison of the Wari and Inka Occupations of a Highland Peruvian Valley . American Antiquity . 52 . 2 . 266–284 . 10.2307/281780 . 0002-7316 . 281780 . 155131409.
3. Julián Santillana (2000). «Los estados panandinos: Wari y Tiwanaku». En Teodoro Hampe Martínez, ed. Historia del Perú. Culturas prehispánicas. Barcelona: Lexus.
4. Martti Pärssinen (2003). «Copacabana: ¿El nuevo Tiwanaku? Hacia una comprensión multidisciplinaria sobre las secuencias culturales postiwanacotas de Pacasa (Bolivia).». En Ana María Lorandi, Carmen Salazar-Soler, Nathan Wachtel, ed. Los Andes: 50 años después (1953-2003) - Homenaje a John Murra (1 edición). Perú: Fondo Editorial de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. pp. 229-280.
5. Tung, TA (2008). «Violence after Imperial Collapse: A Study of Cranial Trauma among Late Intermediate Period Burials from the Former Huari Capital, Ayacucho, Peru.». Ñawpa Pacha 29: 101-117. S2CID 129334201. doi:10.1179/naw.2008.29.1.003.
6. Waldemar Espinoza Soriano. Los Incas. Economía Sociedad y Estado en la Era del Tahuantinsuyo. Lima: Amaru, 1987
7. Web site: 2013-08-14 . Tiahuanaco, el imperio andino aún ignorado que legó su cultura a los Incas . 2023-11-29 . elDiario.es . es.
8. Criales . Juan Villanueva . 2017 . Lo boliviano y lo indígena en la construcción arqueológica del post-Tiwanaku altiplánico. Narrativas no inocentes y alternativas futuras . Surandino Monográfico . es . 2 . 1–20 . 2545-8256.
9. Rostworowski Tovar, María (Octubre del 2010). «3. Las etnias cusqueñas y los primeros incas». Incas. Biblioteca Imprescindibles Peruanos. Perú: Empresa Editora El Comercio S.A. - Producciones Cantabria S.A.C. p. 36-47.
10. Web site: 2011-09-16 . Historia de los Incas - Historia . 2023-11-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110916025342/http://www.welcomeperutravel.com/espanol/los-incas/historia-los-incas.html . 2011-09-16 .
11. Rostworowski de Díez Canseco, María (2001). Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui. Lima: Instituto de Estudios Peruanos, pp. 166.
12. https://www.latinamericanstudies.org/chimu/chimu-articulo.pdf
13. Web site: 2016-03-05 . Tlaxcaltecas/Mexicanos en el Perú del siglo XVI Siempre! . 2023-11-23 . es-MX.
14. https://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/nuevoamanecer/350309-nicaraguas-conquista-peru/