The Andes

Various cultures called the Arequipa region home dating back to ancient times, before eventually being banished after the Incas conquered them and implemented a policy of mass resettlement. The varied conglomerations of hunters who came to Camaná, Cotahuasi, Islay, and Arequipa, among other provinces, before 8000 BC, were joined over the years by groups of Tiahuanaco, Nasca, and Huari peoples. With the consolidation of different regional domains, members of these ethnic groups converged upon the valleys of the Chili River and its tributary basins. Some of these peoples even reached as far as the coast, including the Collaguas, Yanaguaras, Kuntis, Chumbivilcas, Yarabayas, and Copoatas. The Lupacas settled in Churajon in the Chapi Valley, among other places. The diverse groups who lived here prior to the Incas had little territorial continuity, occupying multiple places simultaneously to gain access to the ecological resources found at different altitudes.