The principal hydraulic works of the Lucre Basin (canals, reservoirs, aqueducts, and so forth; see fig. 5.1) are associated with the site of Pikillacta itself as well as with the vast terraces and cultivable fields of the basin, which reveals that the agricultural production that supported the valley economically was controlled administratively from Pikillacta during the Middle Horizon. The hydrographical network is comprised of the Lucre River (fig. 5.1, Río Lucre), which is formed by the streams called Chelke (R. Chelque) and Colcaique (R. Colcaique), and the lagoons of Pumaorqo and Muyna. The river is fed by more than fifteen springs, of which four - Parojan, Pacramayu, Cusara, and Llutuqasamayo - run permanently at a rate of 87 liters per second, with periodic increases in this volume during the rainy season. A part of this flow of water was captured by the residents of Pikillacta and led through two canals to their agricultural fields on the south and east sides of the Lucre Basin (see fig. 5.1 and chapter 2, fig. 2.3), as well as to the main center of Pikillacta by means of a magnificently conceived and executed hydraulic system. © 2009 by The University of Iowa Press. All rights reserved.