Since prehistoric times, Andean societies have been organized around the ayllu, a grouping of real or ceremonial kinspeople who share labor, resources, and ritual obligations. Many Andean scholars believe the ayllu is as ancient as Andean culture itself, dating back to 6000 B. C. , and that it arose to alleviate the hardships of farming in the mountainous Andean environment. In this bold revisionist book, however, William Isbell persuasively argues that the ayllu developed during the latter half of the Early Intermediate Period (around A. D. 200) as a means of resistance to the process of state formation. Drawing on archeological evidence as well as records of Inca life taken from chroniclers, Isbell asserts that prehistory ayllus were organized around veneration of deceased ancestors, whose mummified bodies were housed in open sepulchers, or chullpas, where they could be visited by descendants seeking approval and favors. By charting the temporal and spatial distribution of chullpa ruins, Isbell offers a convincing new explanation of where, when, and why the ayllu developed. ; 8vo 8" - 9 3/4" tall; 171 pages