Unique Discovery Offers Glimpse of Provincial Culture in Inka Empire

A new study co-authored by GW assistant research professor of anthropology Jeffrey Splitstoser examines the Inka Empire’s instruments of culture and control through a well-preserved article of clothing discovered in a centuries-old Chilean cemetery. Researchers excavating the burial site along Caleta Vítor Bay in northern Chile found a tunic, or unku which would have been worn by a man who commanded respect and prestige in the Inka Empire. Unkus were largely standardized attire meeting technical and stylistic specifications imposed by imperial authorities.