﻿422 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  a. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  common 
  to 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  Peru. 
  Essentially, 
  "repartici6n" 
  signifies 
  

   the 
  reaffirmation 
  of 
  the 
  existing 
  land 
  boundaries 
  by 
  the 
  Governor 
  of 
  

   the 
  district. 
  Settlements 
  of 
  land 
  disputes 
  in 
  the 
  preceding 
  year 
  are 
  

   put 
  into 
  effect 
  as 
  the 
  Governor 
  calls 
  out 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  the 
  landowners 
  

   and 
  indicates 
  the 
  boundaries 
  of 
  individual 
  and 
  family 
  plots. 
  New 
  

   disputes 
  are 
  allowed 
  to 
  arise 
  which 
  are 
  adjudicated 
  later 
  at 
  the 
  district 
  

   capital. 
  There 
  is 
  probably 
  no 
  connection 
  between 
  repartici6n 
  of 
  

   today 
  and 
  the 
  Inca 
  reapportionment 
  of 
  land 
  to 
  the 
  family 
  heads. 
  

  

  Considerable 
  pageantry 
  surrounds 
  the 
  formal 
  visit 
  of 
  the 
  Governor 
  

   to 
  officiate 
  at 
  reparticion. 
  The 
  officers 
  of 
  the 
  community 
  prepare 
  a 
  

   feast 
  beforehand, 
  and 
  a 
  native 
  band 
  parades 
  the 
  grounds 
  on 
  the 
  eve 
  

   before 
  reparticion. 
  The 
  following 
  day 
  the 
  Governor 
  makes 
  his 
  entry 
  

   in 
  the 
  company 
  of 
  a 
  guard 
  composed 
  of 
  regidores, 
  assistants 
  of 
  the 
  

   community 
  officers, 
  blowing 
  conch 
  shells. 
  After 
  an 
  elaborate 
  lunch, 
  

   the 
  Governor, 
  the 
  community 
  officers, 
  and 
  the 
  landowners 
  assemble 
  

   at 
  the 
  section 
  of 
  land 
  to 
  be 
  dealt 
  with. 
  Before 
  the 
  actual 
  repartici6n 
  

   begins, 
  statuettes 
  of 
  the 
  patron 
  saint 
  of 
  the 
  community 
  are 
  brought 
  

   out 
  to 
  the 
  section. 
  Prayers 
  and 
  coca 
  and 
  chicha 
  offerings 
  are 
  made 
  

   to 
  the 
  saint. 
  The 
  name 
  of 
  each 
  family 
  head 
  is 
  then 
  called. 
  If 
  he 
  has 
  

   paid 
  the 
  repartici6n 
  fee 
  (5 
  centavos) 
  and 
  has 
  delivered 
  wood 
  to 
  the 
  

   Government 
  house, 
  the 
  chaquitaclla 
  is 
  struck 
  at 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  plot 
  

   and 
  the 
  boundary 
  marks 
  are 
  made. 
  Usually, 
  the 
  owner 
  of 
  the 
  plot 
  

   picks 
  up 
  the 
  clods 
  of 
  earth 
  loosened 
  by 
  the 
  chaquitaclla 
  to 
  kiss 
  them. 
  

  

  Frequently, 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  marking 
  the 
  boundaries, 
  intense 
  quar- 
  

   rels 
  break 
  out 
  over 
  the 
  exact 
  location 
  of 
  certain 
  plot 
  boundaries. 
  The 
  

   fact 
  that 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  centimeters 
  of 
  land 
  may 
  be 
  involved 
  does 
  in 
  no 
  

   way 
  lessen 
  the 
  bitterness 
  of 
  the 
  quarrels. 
  Interfamily 
  disputes 
  also 
  

   occur 
  in 
  which 
  one 
  member 
  of 
  a 
  family 
  will 
  insist 
  upon 
  separate 
  demar- 
  

   cation 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  plot 
  within 
  the 
  family 
  land. 
  It 
  thus 
  appears 
  that 
  

   arable 
  land 
  is 
  divided 
  into 
  the 
  family-owned 
  lots, 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  

   family 
  apportioning 
  an 
  amount 
  to 
  each 
  member 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  

   his 
  needs, 
  for 
  his 
  working, 
  and 
  the 
  individual 
  plots. 
  The 
  latter 
  are 
  

   separated 
  from 
  the 
  family 
  land 
  by 
  inheritance, 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  agree- 
  

   ment 
  with 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  or 
  by 
  adjudication. 
  The 
  process 
  

   of 
  individualization 
  of 
  landholdings 
  inevitably 
  tends 
  to 
  split 
  apart 
  

   the 
  family 
  lands. 
  As 
  each 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  comes 
  of 
  age, 
  

   another 
  segment 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  broken 
  off. 
  Today 
  even 
  women 
  are 
  

   asserting 
  their 
  right 
  to 
  an 
  individual 
  plot 
  and 
  are 
  not 
  averse 
  to 
  stand- 
  

   ing 
  against 
  their 
  families 
  in 
  long 
  litigations. 
  

  

  Statistics 
  en 
  the 
  average 
  size 
  of 
  landholdings 
  and 
  the 
  average 
  yield 
  

   are 
  unobtainable. 
  There 
  are 
  several 
  different 
  systems 
  of 
  land 
  meas- 
  

   urement 
  in 
  vogue 
  among 
  the 
  Quechua. 
  The 
  most 
  well 
  known 
  is 
  the 
  

   topo, 
  or 
  tupu, 
  commented 
  on 
  by 
  Garcilaso 
  (1723, 
  bk. 
  5, 
  ch. 
  3). 
  Ac- 
  

   cording 
  to 
  Garcilaso, 
  the 
  topo 
  consisted 
  of 
  1 
  fanega 
  of 
  land, 
  1.59 
  acres, 
  

   and 
  was 
  sufficient 
  to 
  sustain 
  a 
  man 
  and 
  wife 
  without 
  children. 
  In 
  the 
  

  

  