La Capacocha como ritual político. Negociaciones en torno al poder entre Cuzco y los curacas

The aim of this article is to study the function of political rituals in the Inca state through the analysis of the Capacocha ritual cycle. The public ceremonies of the Inca state religion created a scene where political relations between the sovereign and his subordinates (i.e. the relations between the Inca state and the peoples that had been conquered and incorporated into the Inca realm) were being negotiated, thus contributing to the consolidation of power that Cuzco exercised upon the Andean peoples. Furthermore, the Inca rituals paid special attention to the establishment of relations with the local elites, mainly with the curacas, and to the reaffirmation of the ties that united the Andean peoples with the Inca state. The article will focus on this relation between state power and local authorities in the Inca realm.