The Qollqas of Tipón and Other Inca Sites
The qollqas of Tipón are the most extensive and best-preserved example of the Inca state storage system in the Cusco region. The site, located in the Lucre basin approximately 23 kilometers southeast of Cusco, at an elevation of approximately 3,560 meters, contains more than 280 individual storehouses, organized into groups on a series of terraces. The qollqas of Tipón are conventionally dated to the mid-fifteenth century, during the reign of the ninth Sapa Inca, Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, and are interpreted as a regional center of the imperial storage system. The site is one of the most important and most studied examples of Inca state storage, and it has been the focus of detailed archaeological and conservation work by the Peruvian Ministry of Culture and by international projects.
The setting and the site plan
The Tipón qollqas are located on a hillside that overlooks the Lucre basin, adjacent to the better-known ceremonial and hydraulic site of Tipón. The site is divided into two main sectors, an upper sector on the western hillside and a lower sector on the eastern slope, with a connecting terrace running along the central spine. The two sectors contain a total of more than 280 individual storehouses, organized into groups of 5 to 20 buildings, with the groups separated by narrow alleys and access paths.
The qollqas of Tipón are built in the standard imperial form, with polygonal stone walls, half-buried floors, small doorways, and thatched roofs. The walls are typically 0.6 to 1.2 meters thick, the floors are sunk approximately 1 to 2 meters below the surrounding ground level, and the doorways are typically less than 1 meter high and 0.6 meters wide. The buildings are arranged on a grid that follows the contour of the hillside, with the principal access paths running along the contour and the secondary paths running up and down the slope. The grid is integrated with a system of small channels that bring water from a natural spring to a series of small fountains within the site, and the channels are still in use.
The building form and the storage technology
The qollqas of Tipón are typical of the imperial storage technology. The half-buried floor and the thick walls of the buildings have a thermal effect that maintains the temperature inside the storehouse at approximately 8 to 12°C throughout the year, even when the outside temperature varies by 20°C or more. The temperature is maintained by the thermal mass of the walls and the surrounding soil, and by the ventilation through the doorway and small openings in the walls. The combination of low temperature, low humidity, and good ventilation is ideal for the long-term storage of grains and other staples.
The interior of the qollqa was typically fitted with raised platforms of stone or wood on which the stored grain was placed, and the platforms kept the grain off the floor and allowed air to circulate beneath it. The Inca were familiar with the use of natural insecticides, including the application of muña (a high-altitude mint) to the stored grain, and they used a range of techniques to keep the stored grain free from rodents and insects. The doorway was small and could be closed with a stone or wooden door, and the storehouse could be sealed to prevent the entry of pests or the loss of grain.
The size of the qollqas of Tipón varies, with the smallest approximately 3 meters long and 2 meters wide and the largest approximately 6 meters long and 4 meters wide. The storage capacity of a single qollqa is typically 1,500 to 5,000 kilograms of maize, depending on the specific dimensions, and the total storage capacity of the site is approximately 500 to 1,500 tons of grain. The site was therefore one of the largest in the imperial storage system, comparable in scale to the qollqas of Colcamayo near Juliaca, the largest of the imperial granaries.
The storage of maize and quinoa
The principal goods stored in the qollqas of Tipón were maize and quinoa, with smaller quantities of dried potatoes, dried llama meat, coca leaves, and other staples. Maize was stored in the form of dried kernels, typically in large woven baskets of ichu (high-altitude grass) or t’ullu (a reed-like plant), and the baskets were placed on the raised platforms of the qollqa. Quinoa was stored in a similar way, although the smaller size of the quinoa kernels required finer baskets. Dried potatoes, in the form of chuño, were stored in bulk on the floor of the qollqa or in large baskets.
The maize stored at Tipón was grown on the agricultural terraces of the Lucre basin and the surrounding region, and the qollqas were integrated with a sophisticated system of irrigation canals that brought water from the surrounding slopes to the agricultural terraces. The maize was harvested in the late summer, dried on the terraces, and stored in the qollqas for distribution to the population and the imperial administration in the following year. The system was designed to ensure a reliable supply of maize for the imperial administration, the mit’a laborers, and the population in years of poor harvest.
The function of the site
The qollqas of Tipón are interpreted as a regional center of the imperial storage system. The site is strategically located at the confluence of the Lucre basin and the Sacred Valley, and it lies on the road that connected Cusco to the southern part of the empire. The site was therefore well placed to receive and distribute grain from a wide area, and the storage capacity of the site was sufficient to support a substantial population in the region.
The site was also integrated with the ceremonial and hydraulic complex of Tipón, which lies adjacent to the qollqas. The ceremonial complex includes a series of agricultural terraces, a small Sun Temple, and the famous sequence of fountains and channels that bring water from a natural spring to a series of pools and outlets. The integration of the storage site with the ceremonial and hydraulic complex suggests that the qollqas of Tipón were not simply a utilitarian storage facility but were part of a larger imperial landscape that integrated storage, agriculture, and ritual.
The site has been the focus of detailed archaeological and conservation work by the Peruvian Ministry of Culture, with the support of international projects, including a long-running collaboration between the Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco and the University of Cuzco. The work has clarified the construction sequence of the site, identified the principal building types, and refined the dating of the principal structures. The qollqas of Tipón are now protected as part of the Zona Arqueológica de Tipón, and the site is open to the public as an archaeological park.