Is all the UNESCO´s Qhapaq Ñan really Inca? Problems with the incorporation of sections and sites from San Juan (Argentina)

Abstract

The nomination and acceptance of the Qhapaq Ñan as World Heritage took more than a decade of work in the six countries involved. In Argentina, a centralized coordination system in charge of articulating the proposals of the provinces that were part of the national program was implemented. Some people expressed certain inconveniences in the program’s development, mainly related to the participation of native communities. Furthermore, the presentation approved by UNESCO shows some shortcomings associated with the identification of some of the proposed elements. In this sense, and in order to provide relevant information to better understand the Argentinean nomination process and its outcome, this article shows the divergences between the Inca Road system known in San Juan and the one accepted in the project, the nomination of a section and associated sites without the corresponding evidence of their Inca character and a failed previous proposal to incorporate historical sites to the project. Also, to help explain this situation, some aspects related to the actions of different agents and the possible incidence of political power are discussed.