Introduction Alina Álvarez Larrain, Catriel Greco and Federico Wynveldt Abstract The Late Intermediate Period or LIP (ca. AD 1000–1430) in the Andes is a span of time that follows the decline of the Wari and Tiwanaku states. Beyond regional variations, there is consensus that the LIP is characterized by processes of social complexity, regional population growth, cooperative and competitive rela- tionships (including warfare). Archaeological evidence indicates that some pukara, a word that means “fortress” or “castle” in both Aymara and Quechua, functioned as fortified refuges—temporary shelters for people to congregate in times of conflict (or threats of conflict). Meanwhile, a high number of conglomerate towns in strategic positions shows evidence of permanent residence. However, we cannot consider the LIP political landscapes and life in agglomerated or fortified hilltops villages without also addressing semi-conglomerate towns, the economic areas where food and goods were produced and processed, and the ritual loci that were of religious importance for these communities. This book has nine case studies cov- ering a large geographic area within the Southern Andes crossing the national barriers that tend to atomize the study of pre-Hispanic landscapes; and a wide range of themes such as: intra-site architectural and spatial regularities; analysis of A. Álvarez Larrain (&) Centro de Investigaciones en Geografía Ambiental (CIGA), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro No. 8701, Col. Ex-Hacienda de San José de la Huerta, Morelia 58190, Michoacán, México e-mail: alinaalvarezlarrain@gmail.com A. Álvarez Larrain CONICET - Instituto de las Culturas (IDECU), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina C. Greco CONICET - Departamento de Geología, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Av. Ejército de Los Andes 950, San Luis D5700HHW, San Luis, Argentina e-mail: catrielgreco@gmail.com F. Wynveldt CONICET - Laboratorio de Análisis Cerámico, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 64 N°3, Lab. 18, La Plata 1900, Buenos Aires, Argentina e-mail: wynveldtf@fcnym.unlp.edu.ar © Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018 A. Álvarez Larrain and C. Greco (eds.), Political Landscapes of the Late Intermediate Period in the Southern Andes, The Latin American Studies Book Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76729-1_1 1