Barter and Hierarchy: A Practical Perspective on Food, Society, and Knowledge in the Inca Empire

Abstract

The Inca Empire developed a sophisticated system of food production, social organisation, and knowledge transmission without the use of money or writing. This article introduces the concept of a barter economy structured through hierarchical cooperation, examining the Inca model from a practice-based perspective. Methodologically, the study draws on ethnohistorical sources, archaeological evidence, and anthropological theory to reconstruct the logic of Inca governance. Key analytical tools include documentary analysis, comparative institutional models, and interpretive examination of empirical innovations such as terracing, quipus, and labour systems. Our findings confirm that the Incas achieved food security through ecological complementarity and state-managed redistribution; sustained social cohesion through reciprocity-based labour systems such as the mita; and preserved and transmitted knowledge through oral tradition and embodied practices. These results challenge modern assumptions about the necessity of monetary and written systems for complex administration. The Inca case exemplifies a non-market economy organised through stratified reciprocity, where knowledge and cooperation were embedded in daily life and statecraft. The article concludes by reflecting on the relevance of the Inca model for comparative studies in social, economic, and political organisation.

Keywords

• barter
• hierarchical cooperation
• inca empire
• practice-based knowledge
• reciprocity