Stern's Treatment of Ideology

            In his book Peru’s Indian Peoples and the Challenge of Spanish Conquest, Stern treats ideology as a factor for historical change, which is consistent with the approach used by Conrad and Demarest in their book Religion and Empire.  Stern describes how the natives of the Andes believed in cooperation, reciprocal relationships, and balance which defined their traditions and their whole world.  Socially the Andean ideology allowed them to form ayllus, which were large extended families whose members claimed to be descendants from the same great-great-grandfather; this is the most basic kin structure of the Andean people.  These ayllus could be spread across multiple microenvironments.  This allowed for the ayllu members to be relatively self-sufficient and, at the same, interdependent.  Whatever a member could not produce themselves, they would acquire from other members of the ayllu. 

            Multiple ayllus formed an ethnic group which was led by a chief whose function was to manage the group in order to promote and protect its interests.  The chief could require work from the different ayllus and in return he would provide the workers with a feast and possibly gifts. 

            The Andean people worshipped their gods through rituals that often involved the giving of gifts followed by the request for favors.  In times of stress, such as a drought, it was seen as a sign that the people had not given enough to the god for his favor. 

            In all three fields – social, political, and religion – their ideology of cooperation, balance and reciprocal relationships is at the very center.

            In their book Religion and Empire, Conrad and Demarest show how ideology served as a factor for historical change in both the Aztec and Inca Empires.  First, they discussed how the Aztec worship of their sun god through mass human sacrifices gave them the edge over their neighbors and allowed them to become the dominant power in the Valley of Mexico.  However, it would later start a chain of events that would lead to their downfall.  Second, they looked at how the mummy cult of the Inca led to their rise through military expansion and later their downfall.