Preservation
and Storage

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Surplus food, clothing, raw materials, and other items were kept in state storage facilities called colcas. A key feature of the Inka Empire, they were part of a system of collecting food and goods from every region and redistributing them among the empire’s inhabitants, especially in years when harvests were poor.

“There are houses that store contributions brought to the chiefs as tribute. . . . feathers . . . shields, armor, copper sheets to cover the walls of houses, knives and utensils, footwear, breastplates for soldiers, all in such quantity . . .”
Pedro Sancho de la Hoz, secretary to Francisco Pizarro, 1533

Video showing the remains of a colca and discussing its function during the Inka Empire.

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Explore a Colca

Interactive tool to help explain the innovative features of a colca—this unique Inka food preservation and storage system

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Colcas – Storehouses for an Empire

Surplus food, clothing, raw materials, and other items were kept in state storage facilities called colcas. Colcas were part of the Inka system of storing food and goods from every suyu and redistributing them among the empire's inhabitants. This system guaranteed the survival of the empire and its people in years when harvests were poor.

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Storage

Here is an example of how chuño (dried potatoes) were stored inside ceramic vessels.

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Airflow

Inka engineers understood the environment and built colcas to take advantage of natural airflow to keep stored items fresh.

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Colca Center

In certain places along the Inka Road, large clusters of colcas stored goods for redistribution throughout the empire. Some provincial centers contained several hundred colcas that could be filled with food, textiles, weapons, and other items needed for daily life.

Close

Colcas – Storehouses for an Empire

Surplus food, clothing, raw materials, and other items were kept in state storage facilities called colcas. Colcas were part of the Inka system of storing food and goods from every suyu and redistributing them among the empire's inhabitants. This system guaranteed the survival of the empire and its people in years when harvests were poor.

Storage

Here is an example of how chuño (dried potatoes) were stored inside ceramic vessels.

Airflow

Inka engineers understood the environment and built colcas to take advantage of natural airflow to keep stored items fresh.

Colca Center

In certain places along the Inka Road, large clusters of colcas stored goods for redistribution throughout the empire. Some provincial centers contained several hundred colcas that could be filled with food, textiles, weapons, and other items needed for daily life.

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