﻿Vol.2] 
  CONTEMPORARY 
  QUECHUA 
  — 
  MISHKIN 
  437 
  

  

  such 
  as 
  coca, 
  aniline 
  dyes, 
  hats, 
  textiles, 
  etc. 
  In 
  the 
  high 
  altitudes, 
  

   rocotos, 
  fruits 
  of 
  all 
  sorts, 
  and 
  other 
  valley 
  products 
  bring 
  cash 
  

   whether 
  they 
  are 
  being 
  sold 
  by 
  local 
  entrepreneurs 
  or 
  by 
  outside 
  

   vendors. 
  Similarly, 
  cash 
  is 
  preferred 
  for 
  typical 
  high-altitude 
  pro- 
  

   ducts 
  sold 
  in 
  the 
  valley, 
  although 
  there 
  are 
  exceptions. 
  

  

  In 
  most 
  of 
  Peru, 
  the 
  largest 
  trade 
  item 
  involved 
  in 
  the 
  money 
  

   economy 
  is 
  coca. 
  Coca 
  is 
  everywhere 
  a 
  staple 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  plowing 
  

   and 
  harvesting 
  seasons 
  is 
  consumed 
  in 
  great 
  quantities. 
  Every 
  

   owner 
  of 
  a 
  plot 
  of 
  ground 
  must 
  distribute 
  coca 
  among 
  his 
  helpers. 
  

   In 
  addition, 
  the 
  Indian 
  is 
  accustomed 
  to 
  taking 
  a 
  greater 
  amount 
  of 
  

   coca 
  when 
  he 
  is 
  engaged 
  in 
  strenuous 
  physical 
  labor. 
  Hence, 
  all 
  

   Quechua, 
  no 
  matter 
  how 
  difficult 
  it 
  is 
  for 
  them 
  to 
  make 
  cash 
  expen- 
  

   ditures, 
  must 
  spend 
  a 
  material 
  portion 
  of 
  their 
  cash 
  income 
  for 
  coca. 
  

   The 
  coca 
  section 
  of 
  any 
  market 
  is 
  usually 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  

   activity. 
  The 
  dried 
  leaves 
  are 
  sold 
  in 
  any 
  quantity 
  from 
  handfuls 
  

   to 
  arrobas. 
  In 
  this 
  connection, 
  a 
  unique 
  type 
  of 
  purchase 
  for 
  coca, 
  

   found 
  in 
  several 
  districts 
  of 
  Cuzco, 
  may 
  be 
  prevalent 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  

   Peru. 
  Indians 
  may 
  band 
  together 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  collective 
  purchase; 
  

   a 
  few 
  members 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  family 
  may 
  thus 
  buy 
  a 
  whole 
  arroba 
  of 
  

   coca 
  in 
  equal 
  shares; 
  or 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  30 
  or 
  40 
  members 
  of 
  a 
  community 
  

   may 
  form 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  consumers 
  cooperative, 
  each 
  person 
  subscribing 
  to 
  

   the 
  amount 
  he 
  desires 
  and 
  receiving 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  purchase 
  

   due 
  him. 
  One 
  man 
  is 
  chosen 
  as 
  the 
  buyer, 
  whose 
  function 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  

   divide 
  the 
  coca 
  in 
  accordance 
  w 
  T 
  ith 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  shares 
  each 
  has 
  

   taken. 
  By 
  collective 
  purchases, 
  the 
  Indians 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  gain 
  the 
  

   slight 
  advantage 
  that 
  is 
  offered 
  in 
  bulk 
  buying. 
  The 
  buyers, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  are 
  in 
  no 
  way 
  organized 
  in 
  formal 
  unions. 
  Frequently, 
  several 
  

   individual 
  buyers 
  will 
  join 
  together 
  on 
  the 
  spur 
  of 
  the 
  moment 
  to 
  

   conclude 
  a 
  collective 
  purchase. 
  

  

  Labor. 
  — 
  Throughout 
  post-Columbian 
  history, 
  the 
  Quechua 
  have 
  

   provided 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  industrial 
  labor 
  force 
  of 
  the 
  Andean 
  

   countries. 
  In 
  Colonial 
  times, 
  the 
  mines 
  and 
  textile 
  establishments 
  

   were 
  operated 
  with 
  Indian 
  labor 
  exclusively. 
  Since 
  the 
  Eepublican 
  

   era, 
  as 
  the 
  Quechua 
  have 
  lost 
  their 
  land 
  they 
  have 
  come 
  to 
  depend 
  

   increasingly 
  on 
  town 
  and 
  mine 
  work 
  for 
  a 
  livelihood. 
  The 
  past 
  few 
  

   decades 
  have 
  witnessed 
  large-scale 
  migrations 
  from 
  rural 
  to 
  urban 
  

   areas. 
  Lima 
  and 
  other 
  cities 
  have 
  undergone 
  phenomenal 
  growth 
  

   during 
  this 
  period. 
  But 
  on 
  the 
  reverse 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  picture, 
  there 
  are 
  

   many 
  areas 
  of 
  central 
  and 
  northern 
  Peru 
  which 
  are 
  entirely 
  unin- 
  

   habited. 
  Either 
  willingly 
  or 
  by 
  compulsion 
  whole 
  communities 
  have 
  

   abandoned 
  their 
  fractioned 
  landholdings 
  and 
  have 
  moved 
  off 
  to 
  the 
  

   towns. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  one 
  hand, 
  the 
  mines 
  which 
  pay 
  a 
  relatively 
  high 
  wage 
  at- 
  

   tract 
  a 
  certain 
  percentage. 
  The 
  majority 
  go 
  to 
  the 
  towns 
  where 
  

   they 
  become 
  artisans, 
  factory 
  workers, 
  unskilled 
  laborers, 
  and 
  domestic 
  

  

  