Redistribution and Markets in Andean South America

Abstract

Discussions of Andean economy have traditionally emphasized the role of redistribution and other noncommercial forms of interaction in Inka society. The discussion presented here suggests that the model of centralized, noncommercial distribution does not accurately reflect the variation of economic structures present across the Inka empire or the diversity of economic practices in pre-Inka periods. Forms of reciprocal commercial exchange and even marketplaces were likely found throughout the Andes at different points in time.