tawantin suyu

Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es.
Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.

[Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, 1826]


Evidence suggests that agricultural practices in South America have been present for about 8500 years, beginning with the cultivation of potatoes, chilies, and beans.  Andean cultures eventually domesticated llamas, alpacas, and guinea pigs for transportation and food.  By 2000 BCE, agrarian developments established communal settlements and growth of provisions.  The Quechuas and Aymaras occupied present-day Peru and Bolivia, respectively, irrigating the land for the production of quinoa, corn, beans, manioc, sweet potatoes, and squash.  Further advancements arrived as the Incan civilization assimilated the local populations in the 14 and 5th centuries.  The Tawantin suyu, land of the four regions, provided a socialist system of sustenance for 10-15 million people.  With the difficult climate and terrain of the Andes, cultivation required a complex system of terrace farming, irrigation, and drainage.  The Inca also developed manual-powered tools, fertilization, and crop species improvement.  However, it was their development of a 25,000 kilometer road system complete with storehouses that assisted in the fusion and spread of the food culture in the region.