﻿372 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  B. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  numbering 
  about 
  80,000 
  tributaries. 
  Of 
  these, 
  one-seventh 
  were 
  

   annually 
  allotted 
  to 
  the 
  mita, 
  numbering 
  11,199. 
  Each 
  mitayo, 
  

   however, 
  was 
  not 
  expected 
  to 
  serve 
  more 
  than 
  18 
  weeks 
  annually, 
  

   with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  a 
  man's 
  corvee 
  fell 
  due 
  but 
  once 
  every 
  7 
  years 
  for 
  

   one-third 
  of 
  a 
  year. 
  In 
  theory, 
  then, 
  no 
  single 
  Indian 
  could 
  be 
  called 
  

   to 
  the 
  mita 
  of 
  Potosi 
  more 
  than 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  times 
  during 
  his 
  life 
  as 
  a 
  

   tribute 
  payer, 
  between 
  the 
  ages 
  of 
  18 
  and 
  50. 
  

  

  It 
  should 
  be 
  noted, 
  however, 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  population 
  of 
  a 
  given 
  prov- 
  

   ince 
  dwindled, 
  the 
  mita 
  assignments 
  remained 
  unchanged. 
  In 
  Chu- 
  

   cuito 
  Province, 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  17th 
  century, 
  the 
  mita 
  actually 
  called 
  

   each 
  individual 
  every 
  5 
  or 
  6 
  years 
  (Messia, 
  1603, 
  in 
  Lorente, 
  1867-72, 
  

   2:352). 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  draft 
  in 
  a 
  given 
  province 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  mustered, 
  the 
  burden 
  

   fell 
  upon 
  the 
  curacas. 
  When 
  death, 
  pestilence, 
  or 
  wholesale 
  truancy 
  

   depleted 
  a 
  community, 
  its 
  curacas 
  were 
  compelled 
  by 
  law 
  to 
  make 
  up 
  

   the 
  missing 
  man-days 
  by 
  hiring 
  laborers 
  at 
  exorbitant 
  rates 
  (Messia, 
  

   1603, 
  in 
  Lorente, 
  1867-72, 
  2:369 
  ff.). 
  This 
  substitute 
  labor 
  was 
  re- 
  

   cruited 
  from 
  among 
  the 
  indios 
  mingados, 
  who 
  offered 
  themselves 
  of 
  

   their 
  own 
  volition 
  for 
  hire 
  in 
  the 
  mines 
  at 
  a 
  rate 
  higher 
  than 
  that 
  paid 
  

   to 
  the 
  mitayos 
  (Montesclaros, 
  1859, 
  p. 
  42). 
  In 
  Potosi 
  alone, 
  there 
  

   were 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  about 
  40,000 
  resident 
  mingados, 
  whose 
  wages 
  

   in 
  1601 
  were 
  twice 
  the 
  rate 
  paid 
  the 
  mitayos 
  (Fernandez 
  de 
  San- 
  

   tillan, 
  1868, 
  p. 
  451 
  ff.). 
  

  

  The 
  precise 
  operation 
  of 
  the 
  mita 
  may 
  be 
  reconstructed 
  in 
  some 
  

   detail 
  from 
  viceregal 
  reports, 
  which 
  dedicated 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  space 
  to 
  

   the 
  problems 
  of 
  the 
  mines 
  as 
  their 
  resources 
  dwindled 
  during 
  the 
  17th 
  

   century. 
  Such 
  impoverishment 
  was, 
  of 
  course, 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  static 
  

   condition 
  of 
  Colonial 
  mining 
  technology. 
  

  

  The 
  proclamation 
  of 
  the 
  coming 
  mita 
  period 
  was 
  sent 
  out 
  2 
  months 
  

   ahead 
  of 
  schedule 
  to 
  the 
  curacas 
  in 
  each 
  community. 
  The 
  curacas 
  in 
  

   the 
  minor 
  government 
  of 
  each 
  repartimiento 
  thus 
  had 
  opportunity 
  to 
  

   muster 
  their 
  men 
  and 
  to 
  receive 
  payments 
  from 
  those 
  Indians 
  wishing 
  

   to 
  evade 
  the 
  mita 
  (Salvatierra, 
  1899, 
  p. 
  30 
  ff.) 
  . 
  Upon 
  being 
  assembled 
  

   all 
  the 
  mitayos 
  of 
  a 
  given 
  province 
  set 
  out 
  for 
  the 
  mines 
  in 
  a 
  great 
  pro- 
  

   cession. 
  Thus 
  the 
  mita 
  setting 
  out 
  for 
  Potosi 
  from 
  Chucuito 
  annu- 
  

   ally 
  consisted 
  of 
  2,200 
  Indians 
  with 
  their 
  families, 
  amounting 
  to 
  more 
  

   than 
  7,000 
  persons. 
  Each 
  mitayo 
  took 
  8 
  to 
  10 
  llamas 
  and 
  some 
  al- 
  

   pacas 
  for 
  meat; 
  the 
  wealthier 
  ones 
  were 
  accompanied 
  by 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  

   30 
  or 
  40 
  llamas 
  to 
  carry 
  their 
  corn 
  and 
  potatoes 
  and 
  their 
  sleeping 
  

   mats. 
  The 
  procession 
  encamped 
  each 
  night 
  of 
  the 
  journey, 
  sleep- 
  

   ing 
  under 
  the 
  open 
  skies. 
  Each 
  trip 
  from 
  Chucuito 
  to 
  Potosi 
  was 
  300 
  

   miles 
  (480 
  km.), 
  lasting 
  2 
  months, 
  and 
  involving 
  the 
  movement 
  of 
  

   30,000 
  to 
  50,000 
  animals. 
  After 
  1650, 
  the 
  mitayos 
  were 
  paid 
  a 
  daily 
  

   rate 
  for 
  traveling 
  expenses. 
  

  

  