Inca

At the time of Spanish conquest (Pizzaro), the Inca empire spanned 2,500 miles of the Andean Cordillera, from Quito to Santiago with the capital at Cuzco.

The Inca were a 2nd-order empire, they had charisma and sovereignty without bureaucracy.

In Europe, mountains typically offered refuge from kings. The Andes were the center of power. (Another example of geography not determining social organization.)

The Sapa Inca was considered God incarnate. The Sapa Inca's authority was undying. His mummified remains were "consulted" and brought out for festivals. And his heir could only inherit the army, his land remained with him after death. Hence, the Incan drive to expansion.

Subjects were expected to pay mit'a, a tribute of labor, gold, and food. But since his power was so individual, so centralized in his person, the Sapa Inca couldn't delegate authority. So the Inca built a monumental road network, and the Sapa Inca was always on the move, to collect mit'a. Ayllu (local administrators) tracked the mit'a, but the system was imperfect, offering opportunities for local flexibility, collective decision making.

Note: this seems inconsistent with Graeber and Wengrow's point that: Inca Ayllus formalized equality into oppression.

Perhaps I've misunderstood? Or perhaps, over time, the Ayllu system became more formalized and the Inca got closer to being a 3rd-order state?