The Chanka (or Chanca) were an ethnic group living in Pre-Columbian South America, whose chiefdom was part of the Chanka "confederation": a loose defensive alliance of various chiefdoms, such as the Vilcas, the Huancas, the Chancas, and the Poqras.
From Catrovirreina, the Chanka migrated to the Andahuailas valley, defeated the local Quechua chiefdoms, and developed an important urban center and a chiefdom described in colonial writings as "rich and warmongering". According to María Rostworowski and Gonzalez Carré, attacks by Chanka groups led to the collapse of the Wari Empire. The Chanka chiefdom was ruled by two chiefs, the "Uscovilca" and the "Ancovilca", and waged war against the Soras and the Incas, and were defeated during the Inca-Chanka wars. Following the Incaic victory over the Chanka, the Soras were also subjected to Inca rule. However, the colonial-era ideas of a powerful Chanka entity are often called into question by various archaeologists, historians and anthropologists.
