The Wari empire, which extended over much of present-day Peru, shared fundamental characteristics with the later Inca empire: a centralized capital, regional administrative centers, a road network (Wariñan) that facilitated communication, a hierarchical army, and a state religion centered around the Staff Deity. It also controlled textile and ceramic workshops, used quipus as a record-keeping system, and consolidated its power through temples, palaces, mausoleums, and remarkable artistic and architectural production.
