reply to post by RuneSpider
This is in no way surprising. The Inca, like the Aztecs in mesoamerica, were late comers to the game in the Andes. In fact by 3000 BC, there were
man-made mounds being built at Aspero and Caral.
Without getting into details basically it went from empire in anarchy (politically speaking not the whole mad max thing for the next few thousand
years)
Next came the Moche, who had many public works and unified a large portion of the Andes (AD 100-700)
I'm sure everyone on here is familiar with the Nazca, they came next, and they had a thing for lines in the desert
(If you haven't looked into the Nazca lines, I suggest it, very interesting)
Then came the Wari, then Chimu.
In fact the Inka didn't even appear, at least as a dominant force until AD 1476, and only lasted until 1534. They existed as a tribe long before,
but were just another small tribe. It was not until AD 1476 that they began carving out their great empire, and making their large public works
(Their road system was absolutely intense)
Anyways, yeah, Inkas, at least as temple builders across the Andes, came thousands of years after their predecessors had done the same.
