﻿Vol.2] 
  COMMUNITIES 
  OF 
  CENTRAL 
  PERU 
  — 
  CASTRO 
  POZO 
  497 
  

  

  was 
  kept 
  under 
  control 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  he 
  might 
  perform 
  the 
  mita 
  in 
  

   mines, 
  fields, 
  or 
  workshops, 
  that 
  he 
  might 
  pay 
  tribute 
  in 
  money 
  or 
  in 
  

   kind, 
  and, 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  that 
  he 
  may 
  work 
  as 
  a 
  peon, 
  farmworker, 
  

   or 
  yanacona 
  on 
  the 
  large 
  farm. 
  In 
  the 
  Sierra, 
  he 
  also 
  lives 
  "reduced" 
  

   on 
  the 
  large 
  farm, 
  where 
  his 
  services 
  in 
  agriculture 
  or 
  in 
  herding 
  are 
  

   repaid 
  by 
  conceding 
  him 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  small 
  plots 
  of 
  land 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  he 
  

   may 
  feed 
  himself 
  and 
  support 
  the 
  luxury 
  of 
  a 
  numerous 
  family. 
  Iu 
  

   the 
  comunidad, 
  he 
  lives 
  in 
  greater 
  socio-economic 
  independence, 
  fight- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  defend 
  his 
  land 
  from 
  the 
  aggression 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  landowners 
  and 
  

   to 
  recover 
  lost 
  lands, 
  trusting 
  in 
  the 
  mirage 
  of 
  constitutional 
  legisla- 
  

   tion 
  which 
  has 
  sheltered 
  him 
  since 
  1919. 
  

  

  Nevertheless, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  Indian 
  comuneros 
  in 
  the 
  

   central 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  have 
  notably 
  bettered 
  their 
  socio- 
  

   economic 
  condition 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  30 
  years, 
  thanks 
  to 
  their 
  organiza- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  impulse 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  given 
  to 
  their 
  institutions 
  and 
  

   instruction, 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  comunero 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   "reduced" 
  laborer, 
  or 
  yanacona, 
  in 
  the 
  small 
  villages 
  on 
  the 
  large 
  farm 
  

   merits 
  serious 
  consideration. 
  The 
  communities 
  deserve 
  this 
  consider- 
  

   ation 
  because 
  they 
  constitute 
  an 
  economic 
  institution 
  capable 
  of 
  being 
  

   transformed 
  into 
  a 
  powerful 
  cooperative 
  system 
  of 
  production 
  and 
  

   consumption 
  in 
  agriculture 
  and 
  herding 
  with 
  its 
  own 
  credit 
  system. 
  

   For 
  this 
  they 
  have 
  great 
  wealth 
  in 
  lands, 
  herds, 
  and 
  tools, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   the 
  custom 
  of 
  working 
  together 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  task 
  and 
  cooperating 
  in 
  

   service 
  for 
  the 
  collective 
  good. 
  Their 
  public 
  works, 
  roads, 
  local 
  and 
  

   communal 
  schools, 
  bridges, 
  irrigation 
  ditches, 
  and 
  dams 
  are 
  constructed 
  

   by 
  this 
  system 
  of 
  work, 
  with 
  no 
  remuneration 
  except 
  food 
  and 
  drink. 
  

   Such 
  social 
  labor 
  constitutes 
  an 
  obligatory 
  communal 
  bond. 
  This 
  

   bond 
  not 
  only 
  unites 
  the 
  will 
  of 
  all 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  task, 
  but 
  symbolizes 
  

   compliance 
  with 
  and 
  performance 
  of 
  the 
  obligation 
  which 
  each 
  owes 
  

   to 
  the 
  community 
  as 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  ayllu 
  and 
  a 
  user 
  of 
  the 
  parcel 
  of 
  

   land 
  which 
  he 
  cultivates. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  this 
  land 
  is 
  his 
  by 
  right, 
  deriving 
  

   from 
  the 
  division 
  of 
  arable 
  lands 
  made 
  according 
  to 
  immemorial 
  

   custom. 
  This 
  division 
  is 
  respected 
  by 
  the 
  community, 
  and 
  has 
  given 
  

   rise 
  in 
  post-Contact 
  times 
  to 
  full 
  individual 
  title 
  to 
  each 
  parcel. 
  In 
  

   many 
  communities, 
  it 
  has 
  expedited 
  the 
  monopolization 
  of 
  land 
  in 
  a 
  

   few 
  hands 
  and 
  the 
  absolute 
  disappearance 
  of 
  the 
  community, 
  but 
  in 
  

   the 
  majority 
  of 
  cases 
  it 
  has 
  created 
  a 
  reactionary 
  sentiment 
  which 
  has 
  

   resulted 
  in 
  prohibition 
  of 
  the 
  sale 
  of 
  lands 
  to 
  individuals 
  outside 
  the 
  

   community 
  and 
  a 
  prohibition 
  against 
  parents 
  disposing 
  of 
  land 
  without 
  

   the 
  consent 
  of 
  their 
  children. 
  Children 
  who 
  feel 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  

   deprived 
  of 
  their 
  rights 
  seek 
  to 
  vindicate 
  them, 
  even 
  when 
  a 
  legal 
  sale 
  

   has 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  conformity 
  with 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  the 
  Republic. 
  

  

  The 
  comunidad, 
  then, 
  is 
  a 
  true 
  national 
  institution, 
  and 
  the 
  country, 
  

   has 
  thousands 
  of 
  them. 
  Because 
  of 
  their 
  kinship 
  (gentilicea) 
  origin 
  

   and 
  the 
  Indians' 
  earthy 
  soul^which 
  loves|the 
  land 
  as 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  his 
  

  

  