﻿376 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  B. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  Hence, 
  the 
  great 
  contrast 
  between 
  Inca 
  and 
  Spanish 
  Colonial 
  gov- 
  

   ernment 
  may 
  be 
  designated 
  by 
  the 
  terms 
  "unique 
  hierarchy," 
  referring 
  

   to 
  the 
  absolute 
  pyramid 
  of 
  Inca 
  authority, 
  and 
  "multiple 
  hierarchy," 
  

   describing 
  the 
  proliferation 
  of 
  practically 
  independent 
  systems 
  of 
  

   authority 
  on 
  the 
  encomiendas. 
  In 
  theory, 
  the 
  encomendero 
  was 
  for- 
  

   bidden 
  any 
  direct 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  his 
  repartimiento, 
  and 
  

   the 
  controls 
  of 
  justice, 
  religion, 
  taxation, 
  and 
  so 
  on 
  were 
  assigned 
  to 
  

   as 
  many 
  distinct 
  governmental 
  agencies. 
  In 
  reality, 
  however, 
  each 
  

   encomendero 
  tended 
  to 
  become 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  a 
  local 
  hierarchy, 
  exer- 
  

   cising 
  in 
  his 
  own 
  person 
  all 
  the 
  authorities 
  of 
  the 
  multiple 
  forms 
  of 
  

   government. 
  

  

  Caracas. 
  — 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  gravest 
  abuses 
  in 
  Early 
  Colonial 
  society 
  

   resulted 
  from 
  the 
  interference 
  by 
  the 
  encomendero 
  in 
  the 
  appointment 
  

   of 
  the 
  curacas 
  (fig. 
  37, 
  c). 
  The 
  encomendero 
  's 
  object 
  was 
  to 
  choose 
  

   a 
  foreman 
  (sapayapa) 
  for 
  his 
  enterprise 
  who 
  should 
  be 
  dependent 
  

   upon 
  his 
  patron's 
  favor 
  rather 
  than 
  concerned 
  for 
  the 
  welfare 
  of 
  the 
  

   Indians. 
  They 
  were 
  usually 
  swollen 
  with 
  importance, 
  living 
  extrava- 
  

   gantly 
  from 
  the 
  proceeds 
  of 
  Indian 
  labor 
  (Santillan, 
  1879, 
  p. 
  29; 
  

   Quiroga, 
  1922, 
  p. 
  95). 
  They 
  occupied 
  the 
  more 
  solid 
  and 
  well-built 
  

   houses 
  and 
  were 
  said 
  to 
  eat 
  from 
  vessels 
  of 
  gold 
  and 
  silver. 
  Their 
  

   farms 
  were 
  stocked 
  with 
  herds 
  and 
  stores 
  of 
  food. 
  Some 
  curacas 
  wore 
  

   European 
  silks, 
  drank 
  Spanish 
  wines, 
  kept 
  horses, 
  and 
  sought 
  out 
  the 
  

   company 
  of 
  Spaniards. 
  Others 
  attempted 
  to 
  provide 
  for 
  the 
  needy 
  

   in 
  their 
  charge, 
  or 
  to 
  help 
  with 
  the 
  tribute 
  when 
  the 
  individual 
  Indian 
  

   taxpayer 
  found 
  it 
  impossible 
  to 
  meet 
  his 
  share 
  of 
  the 
  communal 
  obli- 
  

   gation 
  (Santillan, 
  1879, 
  pp. 
  79-80). 
  

  

  In 
  general, 
  however, 
  with 
  the 
  decapitation 
  of 
  the 
  Inca 
  state, 
  and 
  

   with 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  the 
  encomendero, 
  the 
  status 
  of 
  each 
  local 
  curaca 
  

   received 
  a 
  vast 
  increment 
  of 
  power. 
  Matienzo 
  says 
  each 
  of 
  them 
  

   assumed 
  powers 
  within 
  his 
  community 
  equal 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Inca 
  

   Emperor. 
  The 
  good 
  intentions 
  of 
  Colonial 
  government 
  were 
  per- 
  

   verted 
  by 
  a 
  conspiracy 
  among 
  the 
  curacas, 
  the 
  encomenderos, 
  and 
  the 
  

   religious 
  doctrineros 
  to 
  secure 
  reductions 
  in 
  assessments, 
  all 
  the 
  

   while 
  levying 
  tribute 
  at 
  an 
  older, 
  higher 
  rate; 
  failing 
  to 
  remunerate 
  

   the 
  Indians 
  for 
  personal 
  services; 
  and 
  failing 
  in 
  general 
  to 
  comply 
  

   with 
  the 
  ethical 
  provisions 
  of 
  Colonial 
  legislation. 
  When 
  fined 
  for 
  

   such 
  abuses 
  of 
  authority, 
  the 
  curacas 
  were 
  indifferent 
  to 
  the 
  penalty, 
  

   failing 
  to 
  understand 
  the 
  uses 
  or 
  nature 
  of 
  money. 
  The 
  only 
  penal- 
  

   ties 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  sensible 
  were 
  corporal 
  punishment, 
  or 
  exile 
  

   into 
  servitude 
  (Matienzo, 
  1910, 
  cap. 
  7, 
  p. 
  17). 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  dissolution 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  administrative 
  units 
  of 
  Inca 
  soci- 
  

   ety, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  pachaca 
  (100 
  tributaries) 
  or 
  the 
  huaranga 
  (1,000 
  tribu- 
  

   taries), 
  the 
  bureaucratic 
  proliferation 
  of 
  officials 
  within 
  the 
  remaining 
  

   units 
  of 
  society 
  was 
  such 
  that 
  among 
  100 
  Indians 
  there 
  were 
  as 
  many 
  

   officials 
  as 
  there 
  had 
  formerly 
  been 
  for 
  each 
  1,000 
  tributaries. 
  If 
  

  

  