Mita System

The Mita system was established by the Inca Empire in order to construct buildings and create roads throughout the empire. It was later transformed into a coercive labor system when the Spanish conquered the Inca Empire. The Spanish used this system to get free labor from the indigenous people as a form of tribute. The indigenous people would provide agricultural labor or work in textile mills, but the most common form of labor was working the mines. They would have to work in the mines every seven years or so, but as time went on it became more frequent due to the dangerous conditions of the mines.

The Mita System led to the creation of roads, buildings, the cultivation of fields, the mining of silver and mercury, and the protection of the empire. The Mita System helped the Inca empire flourish by having all of the men and women provide at least 45 days of labor and in turn, they would be provided everything needed to carry out daily life such as food, clothing, and medication. The system may have led to the building of a massive army. It is believed that the Spanish version of the Mita System may have been a model for present-day slavery.