Studies of balances (scales) in Europe, Asia and northern Africa have found that their use is not exclusively tied to state control or market exchange, but rather grew and evolved through interactions among bureaucrats in centralized states, merchants, artisans and local leaders. Research on balances from Andean South America can contribute to an understanding of the diverse roles and functions of balances, as they developed independently in a region where there were both exchange-based and non-market economies. This article includes data on Andean balances that reveal that they were used as early as the Late Intermediate Period (ad 1100–1400), and that there is variation in the characteristics and dimensions of the balances. Similar to other regions, balances in the Andes were likely used by different groups of specialists including merchants, bureaucrats and artisans. To understand how balances were used, they need to be understood alongside long-distance exchange practices, socio-political strategies, the organization of craft production and the possible use of currency.

对欧洲、亚洲和北非的天平（天平）的研究发现，它们的使用并不完全与国家控制或市场交换有关，而是通过中央集权国家的官僚、商人、工匠和地方领导人之间的互动而发展和演变的。对南美洲安第斯天平的研究有助于理解天平的不同作用和功能，因为它们在既有基于交易所的经济又有非市场经济的地区独立发展。本文包括有关安第斯天平的数据，这些数据表明它们早在中期晚期（公元 1100-1400 年）就被使用，并且天平的特性和尺寸存在差异。与其他地区类似，安第斯山脉的天平可能由不同的专家群体使用，包括商人、官僚和工匠。要了解天平是如何使用的，需要将它们与远程兑换实践、社会政治策略、手工业生产组织和可能的货币使用一起理解。