Despite Wari expansion into ancient Lima, genetic continuity prevailed in local populations

Posted On: Jun 26th, 2016 at 21:14

Peru
Another site I have been fortunate to have visited, Huaca Pucllana in Lima, Peru, was home to the Wari Empire which rose to prominence in the 7th Century. Five hundred years later the empire had disappeared, but it seems the Wari did not alter the genetic uniformity of the local population.
Genetic studies of 34 individuals covering a large time span show the Wari did not replace the local population. This is an extremely interesting finding as the Inca also did not, for the most part, invade and murder local populations, but rather slowly incorporated them into their own empire by what could be seen as a relatively silent occupation of territory. The city of Chan Chan in Trujillo is an excellent example, where the Inca were camped outside the walls for years. This method would also explain why certain empires expanded so rapidly.
Although the genetic study is not wide enough to be definitive, it suggests this method of conquering other cultures was a widespread and oft used tactic by Peruvian empires. If this is true it’s possible that the rise of the Inca Empire could be explained by the continued amalgamation of different cultures over many centuries.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-06/p-awe052716.php