Lesson plan
Mit'a
of Potosí, which made use of Indigenous labor (1552 engraving). ( ) was a system of mandatory labor service in the Inca Empire, as well as in Spain's empire in America. Mit'a (federal work) was effectively a form of tribute to the Inca government in the form of labor, i.e. a corvée. Tax labor accounted for much of the Inca state tax revenue; beyond that, it was used for the construction of the road network, bridges, agricultural terraces, and fortifications in ancient Peru. Military service was also mandatory. All citizens who could perform labor were required to do so for a set number of days out of a year (the basic meaning of the word is a regular 'turn' or a 'season'). The Inca Empire's wealth meant a family often needed only 65 days to farm; the rest of the year was devoted entirely to the . was repurposed by the Spanish Crown in 1573, drafting one-seventh of the adult male population to work in mines. The regionally mandatory is a close relative of . It is still in use in small-scale Quechua communities today and known as in Spanish. was adopted during the 1960s on large-scale federal projects of Peru.
Article summary
of Potosí, which made use of Indigenous labor (1552 engraving). ( ) was a system of mandatory labor service in the Inca Empire, as well as in Spain's empire in America. Mit'a (federal work) was effectively a form of tribute to the Inca government in the form of labor, i.e. a corvée. Tax labor accounted for much of the Inca state tax revenue; beyond that, it was used for the construction of the road network, bridges, agricultural terraces, and fortifications in ancient Peru. Military service was also mandatory. All citizens who could perform labor were required to do so for a set number of days out of a year (the basic meaning of the word is a regular 'turn' or a 'season'). The Inca Empire's wealth meant a family often needed only 65 days to farm; the rest of the year was devoted entirely to the . was repurposed by the Spanish Crown in 1573, drafting one-seventh of the adult male population to work in mines. The regionally mandatory is a close relative of . It is still in use in small-scale Quechua communities today and known as in Spanish. was adopted during the 1960s on large-scale federal projects of Peru.
Key claims
No claims recorded.
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
No sources recorded.
Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.