Abstract This study explores the role of tambo San Francisco (4000 m a.s.l.), located near the Incahuasi volcano and associated high‐altitude sanctuary (6638 m a.s.l.), as a potential aggregation site for political commensalism and religious pilgrimage within the Inca Empire. We analysed 221 ceramic sherds, representing a variety of vessel types, recovered from six Inca‐period sites situated across diverse environmental zones in west‐central Catamarca, northwestern Argentina. These sites fulfilled different functions within the empire's broader expansion strategies during the 15th and 16th centuries. Instrumental neutron activation analysis was employed to obtain chemical fingerprints of the ceramics. The resulting geochemical data served as the basis for modelling the circulation of people and goods. The findings suggest that multiple archaeological sites were linked through ritualized mobility circuits, acting as nodes in pilgrimage and travel routes across intermontane valleys and highland environments.