LOS TESOROS DE LOS MALLKU DE POCONA Y TOTORA EN EL SIGLO XVI

this article presents an etnohistorical analysis of a coca production zone on the eastern frontiers of the tawantinsuyu during the 16th century. the inkas had organized a multiethnic archipelago in the valleys o/pocona and totora (charcas) in order to defend the frontier and cultivate coca for the state; this continued during the early colonial period. the paper shows that colonial ethnic leaders in these frontier valleys hoarded prestigious symbols of authority from the time of the inka which reinforced their colonial position. in particular, these treasures commemorated their ancestors, who had been captains of the inkas and had organized the labor force in the cocales, as well as during seasonal agricultural ceremonies and military festivals.