Inka Storage Capacity

In Cuzcotuyo, the storage facilities were relatively low in number and were concentrated around the main building complex. There were at least thirty circular qolqas, and no other warehouses were found in the regional survey. This suggests the absence of surrounding communities directly involved in production or storage, or a broad-based, regional staple economy. Rather, the warehouses adjacent to Cuzcotuyo were intended to fulfill the immediate needs of the frontier stronghold.

Furthermore, it is also likely that production and storage did not take place in the same area. Judging by the distribution of grinding stones, it is probable that the staples were harvested and processed in the western Pu- cara plains. Afterward, the production, including processed flour, would have been immediately moved to the fortification for consumption. Table 6.4 shows the storage capacity of the region in comparison to other provinces. A similar situation is observed in other frontier installations, where agrarian pockets were strategically established nearby to satisfy the army requirements (Cremonte 2006; Cremonte et al. 2005; Williams and Cre- monte 1997; Williams et al. 2009).

Table 6.4. Storage capacity estimates of the Khosko Toro region in comparison to other Inka centers