﻿Vol. 
  2] 
  COLONIAL 
  QUECHUA 
  — 
  KUBLER 
  375 
  

  

  fying 
  the 
  fiduciary 
  assignment 
  of 
  the 
  labor 
  of 
  Indians. 
  In 
  the 
  18th 
  

   century, 
  repartimiento 
  meant 
  the 
  compulsory 
  purchase 
  of 
  draft 
  animals, 
  

   merchandise 
  and 
  produce, 
  from 
  the 
  corregidor 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  his 
  

   corregimiento 
  or 
  jurisdiction. 
  Repartimiento 
  as 
  such 
  was 
  not 
  legally 
  

   tolerated 
  in 
  the 
  Audiencia 
  of 
  Quito; 
  its 
  practice 
  flourished 
  most 
  in 
  

   Peru 
  (Juan 
  and 
  Ulloa, 
  1826, 
  pp. 
  238-46), 
  where 
  the 
  corregidor 
  was 
  

   the 
  sole 
  legal 
  agent 
  for 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  goods. 
  In 
  other 
  words, 
  the 
  

   Indians 
  could 
  purchase 
  necessities 
  from 
  no 
  one 
  but 
  their 
  corregidor, 
  

   who 
  thus 
  monopolized 
  commerce 
  with 
  Indians, 
  at 
  prices 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  

   choosing. 
  

  

  The 
  corregidor, 
  however, 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  buy 
  animals 
  and 
  manufac- 
  

   tured 
  goods 
  elsewhere 
  than 
  in 
  Lima, 
  where 
  the 
  merchants, 
  capital- 
  

   izing 
  upon 
  the 
  repartimiento 
  traffic, 
  charged 
  already 
  exorbitant 
  prices. 
  

   Their 
  practice 
  was 
  to 
  unload 
  upon 
  the 
  corregidores 
  the 
  most 
  shopworn 
  

   and 
  unsalable 
  stocks 
  in 
  their 
  inventory, 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  the 
  Indian 
  

   was 
  ultimately 
  forced 
  to 
  accept 
  such 
  marginal 
  luxuries 
  as 
  a 
  yard 
  of 
  

   velvet, 
  or 
  odd 
  pieces 
  of 
  taffeta 
  and 
  satin, 
  silk 
  stockings, 
  mirrors, 
  ear- 
  

   rings, 
  razors 
  (for 
  beardless 
  men), 
  pens 
  and 
  paper 
  for 
  illiterates, 
  playing 
  

   cards, 
  snuffboxes, 
  and 
  other 
  soiled 
  luxury 
  goods. 
  The 
  repartimiento 
  

   of 
  produce 
  likewise 
  bore 
  no 
  relation 
  to 
  Indian 
  needs; 
  such 
  items 
  as 
  

   wines, 
  spirits, 
  olives, 
  salad 
  oil, 
  and 
  so 
  on 
  were 
  forced 
  upon 
  him 
  (Juan 
  

   and 
  Ulloa, 
  1826, 
  pp. 
  248-50). 
  

  

  The 
  distribution 
  took 
  place 
  every 
  2% 
  years; 
  the 
  debts 
  thus 
  incurred 
  

   by 
  the 
  Indian 
  were 
  additional 
  to 
  his 
  tribute 
  load. 
  For 
  the 
  corregidor, 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  profitable 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  repartimiento 
  was 
  the 
  

   traffic 
  in 
  mules. 
  An 
  animal 
  costing 
  the 
  corregidor 
  from 
  14 
  to 
  18 
  pesos 
  

   was 
  assigned 
  to 
  an 
  Indian 
  at 
  a 
  price 
  of 
  from 
  40 
  to 
  44 
  pesos, 
  and 
  its 
  

   subsequent 
  hire 
  was 
  controlled, 
  not 
  by 
  the 
  Indian 
  owner, 
  but 
  by 
  the 
  

   corregidor. 
  Of 
  the 
  price 
  of 
  hire, 
  one-half 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  corregidor 
  in 
  

   partial 
  payment 
  of 
  the 
  purchase 
  price, 
  leaving 
  a 
  quarter 
  for 
  the 
  owner 
  

   and 
  a 
  quarter 
  with 
  which 
  to 
  pay 
  the 
  mule 
  drivers 
  during 
  the 
  term 
  of 
  

   hire. 
  (Cf. 
  Angelis, 
  1836-37, 
  p. 
  116.) 
  When 
  the 
  animals 
  had 
  been 
  

   fully 
  paid 
  for, 
  however, 
  the 
  Indian 
  was 
  not 
  free 
  to 
  lease 
  them 
  at 
  will, 
  

   for 
  all 
  freight 
  was 
  handled 
  by 
  the 
  corregidor 
  as 
  a 
  monopoly 
  to 
  his 
  own 
  

   profit. 
  Thus, 
  the 
  corregidor 
  made 
  sure 
  that 
  freight 
  was 
  carried 
  by 
  

   the 
  animals 
  of 
  Indians 
  in 
  his 
  debt. 
  In 
  the 
  long 
  run, 
  the 
  Indian 
  was 
  

   unable 
  to 
  pay 
  for 
  the 
  mules 
  unless 
  by 
  entailing 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  his 
  crops, 
  

   his 
  woolens, 
  or 
  his 
  other 
  livestock. 
  

  

  Social 
  classes. 
  — 
  Under 
  the 
  double 
  blows 
  of 
  the 
  Conquest 
  and 
  the 
  

   encomienda 
  system, 
  Quechua 
  society 
  emerged 
  as 
  a 
  far 
  more 
  simple 
  

   structure 
  than 
  Inca 
  society 
  had 
  been. 
  The 
  decapitation 
  of 
  thellnca 
  

   state 
  entailed 
  the 
  collapse 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  pyramid 
  of 
  authority. 
  In 
  

   Early 
  Colonial 
  society, 
  however, 
  as 
  the 
  class 
  of 
  encomenderos 
  came 
  

   into 
  being, 
  each 
  of 
  them 
  absorbed 
  in 
  his 
  community 
  the 
  authorities 
  

   and 
  ranks 
  of 
  Inca 
  officials 
  above 
  the 
  status 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  curacas. 
  

  

  