Mit'a

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Mit'a (Quechua pronunciation: [ˈmɪˌtʼa]) 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, 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 mit'a 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 mit'a. Mit'a was repurposed by the Spanish Crown in 1573, drafting one-seventh of the adult male population to work in mines. The regionally mandatory mink'a is a close relative of mit'a. It is still in use in small-scale...

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