﻿510 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  The 
  economic 
  system 
  which 
  financed 
  the 
  opulent 
  Viceroyalty 
  of 
  

   Perti 
  was 
  based 
  on 
  a 
  systematic 
  exploitation 
  of 
  the 
  Indians 
  by 
  both 
  

   Church 
  and 
  State. 
  All 
  conquered 
  lands 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  Spanish 
  

   Crown, 
  and, 
  although 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  encomiendas 
  or 
  land 
  grants 
  was 
  

   begun 
  nominally 
  to 
  instruct 
  the 
  Indians, 
  it 
  served 
  actually 
  to 
  exploit 
  

   them. 
  The 
  first 
  encomiendas 
  in 
  Aymara 
  territory 
  were 
  established 
  

   soon 
  after 
  the 
  Conquest. 
  As 
  the 
  Spaniards 
  were 
  interested 
  not 
  in 
  

   cultivating 
  the 
  land 
  but 
  in 
  exacting 
  tribute, 
  they 
  left 
  the 
  social 
  organ- 
  

   ization 
  of 
  the 
  Indians 
  intact 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  possible. 
  Late 
  in 
  the 
  16th 
  

   century, 
  Toledo 
  confiscated 
  the 
  ayllu 
  lands 
  and 
  divided 
  them 
  among 
  

   the 
  ayllu 
  people 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  assure 
  the 
  payment 
  of 
  tribute, 
  although 
  

   in 
  more 
  remote 
  regions 
  this 
  new 
  system 
  of 
  land 
  ownership 
  was 
  ignored 
  

   in 
  practice. 
  Because 
  of 
  this 
  confiscation 
  and 
  because 
  certain 
  areas 
  

   had 
  been 
  decimated 
  by 
  the 
  Conquest, 
  Toledo 
  had 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  

   Aymara 
  moved 
  from 
  one 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Collao 
  to 
  another. 
  

  

  Under 
  the 
  encomiendas, 
  the 
  Aymara 
  were 
  virtually 
  slaves, 
  serving 
  

   the 
  Spaniards 
  chiefly 
  in 
  four 
  ways: 
  as 
  food 
  producers 
  and 
  payers 
  

   of 
  tribute, 
  as 
  household 
  servants, 
  as 
  laborers 
  in 
  the 
  mines, 
  and 
  as 
  

   workers 
  on 
  the 
  coca 
  plantations 
  in 
  the 
  jungles. 
  In 
  the 
  mines 
  of 
  Cara- 
  

   baya 
  and 
  Potosi, 
  hundreds 
  of 
  thousands 
  of 
  Aymara 
  died 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  

   unaccustomed 
  labor, 
  strange 
  environment, 
  undernourishment, 
  and 
  

   ill 
  treatment. 
  La 
  Barre 
  estimates 
  that 
  14.28 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  native 
  

   population 
  were 
  used 
  for 
  forced 
  labor 
  at 
  a 
  single 
  time 
  (La 
  Barre, 
  ms.) 
  . 
  

  

  Under 
  Toledo 
  the 
  oppression 
  of 
  the 
  Indians 
  affected 
  the 
  most 
  

   intimate 
  aspects 
  of 
  their 
  lives. 
  They 
  were 
  forbidden 
  to 
  sleep 
  on 
  the 
  

   floor 
  or 
  to 
  paint 
  their 
  faces 
  and 
  were 
  forced 
  to 
  adopt 
  a 
  new 
  style 
  of 
  dress 
  

   and 
  to 
  live 
  only 
  in 
  certain 
  barrios 
  of 
  the 
  towns. 
  

  

  Finally, 
  in 
  1780, 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  rebellions 
  and 
  counter-rebellions 
  broke 
  

   out 
  and 
  continued 
  sporadically 
  until 
  1821, 
  when 
  the 
  Viceroyalty 
  was 
  

   overthrown 
  and 
  independence 
  from 
  the 
  Spanish 
  Crown 
  proclaimed. 
  

   In 
  the 
  great 
  revolt 
  of 
  1780, 
  the 
  Aymara 
  fought 
  against 
  Spanish 
  op- 
  

   pression 
  and 
  were 
  joined 
  later 
  by 
  the 
  Quechua 
  under 
  Tupac 
  Amaru 
  

   (Lewin, 
  1943). 
  Whole 
  regions 
  of 
  the 
  Collao 
  were 
  virtually 
  depopu- 
  

   lated, 
  and 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  Spaniards 
  were 
  killed. 
  In 
  Sorata, 
  the 
  

   entire 
  White 
  male 
  population 
  was 
  massacred 
  and 
  Chucuito 
  was 
  burned 
  

   to 
  the 
  ground. 
  Three 
  years 
  after 
  the 
  execution 
  of 
  Tupac 
  Amaru, 
  his 
  

   nephew 
  led 
  a 
  second 
  revolt 
  in 
  Azangaro. 
  Vilcapasa, 
  also 
  from 
  Azan- 
  

   garo, 
  burned 
  Huancane 
  and 
  besieged 
  Puno. 
  In 
  1814, 
  Pumacahua 
  

   continued 
  the 
  rebellion, 
  took 
  Puno, 
  and 
  marched 
  on 
  La 
  Paz. 
  These 
  

   rebellions 
  and 
  the 
  series 
  of 
  epidemics 
  which 
  followed 
  soon 
  after 
  con- 
  

   tinued 
  the 
  decimation 
  of 
  the 
  Aymara 
  population 
  which 
  had 
  begun 
  

   with 
  the 
  Conquest 
  and 
  had 
  been 
  furthered 
  by 
  Colonial 
  oppression. 
  

  

  The 
  Republican 
  Period. 
  — 
  Under 
  the 
  Republic, 
  perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  

   significant 
  changes 
  wrought 
  in 
  Aymara 
  society 
  were 
  those 
  brought 
  about 
  

   by 
  land 
  laws 
  and 
  new 
  concepts 
  of 
  property. 
  As 
  mentioned 
  previously, 
  

  

  