The Moquegua Valley: Where Two Empires Met The Wari intruders strategically located their frontier outpost in the upper Moquegua Valley, about five miles from Chen Chen, the nearest Tiwanaku settlement. Perched on the mountaintop mesa of Cerro Baúl, this bustling Wari city boasted political, social, and religious offices on the summit, while most of the citizens lived on terraces cut into the mesa’s sheer sides. The Wari’s imposing citadel here has often been interpreted as a defensive locale. However, excavations at the site have found no evidence of warfare between the Wari and Tiwanaku. Apparently the colonists of these opposing empires found a way to share the valley and its scant water supply without resorting to bloodshed. In fact, archaeological evidence reveals that the two communities may have even integrated somewhat and achieved local autonomy. A few Wari seem to have left their homes on the slopes of Cerro Baúl and moved further down the valley, while new Tiwanaku settlements cropped up around the Wari summit. Surprisingly, the peaceful relationship between these two imperial powers lasted for more than 400 years—until both kingdoms collapsed around A.D. 1000, probably due to political and economic instability. By A.D. 1200, the Inca State had arisen from their ashes. continue >>