﻿816 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  to 
  pay 
  taxes, 
  were 
  preservados 
  and 
  those 
  too 
  old, 
  over 
  50, 
  reservados. 
  

   In 
  addition 
  to 
  these 
  categories 
  which 
  took 
  care 
  of 
  all 
  "free" 
  and 
  enco- 
  

   mienda 
  Indians, 
  the 
  Spaniards 
  maintained 
  the 
  subordinate 
  status 
  of 
  

   the 
  yanaconas, 
  the 
  alien 
  slaves 
  of 
  the 
  Inca. 
  While 
  some 
  were 
  settled 
  

   in 
  villages 
  under 
  the 
  regular 
  tribute 
  system, 
  others, 
  frequently 
  referred 
  

   to 
  as 
  camayos 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  yanaconas, 
  lived 
  in 
  the 
  Spanish 
  towns 
  and 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  crafts 
  or 
  in 
  domestic 
  service. 
  

  

  Agriculture 
  remained 
  the 
  basic 
  occupation 
  of 
  the 
  aboriginal 
  popu- 
  

   lation. 
  But 
  as 
  the 
  country 
  expanded, 
  new 
  towns 
  were 
  built 
  and 
  de- 
  

   mand 
  arose 
  for 
  specialized 
  products 
  and 
  services. 
  All 
  of 
  them 
  de- 
  

   pended 
  on 
  Indian 
  labor 
  and 
  required 
  considerable 
  readjustment 
  of 
  

   native 
  life. 
  

  

  Thus, 
  natives 
  were 
  assigned 
  to 
  the 
  cleaning 
  of 
  city 
  streets, 
  the 
  main- 
  

   tenance 
  of 
  roads, 
  and 
  the 
  carrying 
  of 
  mail. 
  These 
  duties 
  were 
  similar 
  

   to 
  services 
  exacted 
  by 
  the 
  Inca, 
  but 
  they 
  were 
  soon 
  augmented 
  by 
  

   obligations 
  to 
  help 
  erect 
  and 
  maintain 
  Spanish 
  cities. 
  Thus, 
  when 
  the 
  

   town 
  of 
  Ibarra 
  was 
  built 
  in 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  17th 
  century, 
  300 
  

   Indians 
  from 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  Pasto 
  and 
  Quillacinga 
  territories 
  were 
  

   brought 
  in 
  and 
  used 
  as 
  bricklayers 
  and 
  laborers 
  for 
  several 
  months 
  at 
  

   a 
  stretch. 
  Although 
  the 
  corregidor 
  had 
  provided 
  for 
  cash 
  and 
  kind 
  

   payments, 
  Pasto 
  chiefs 
  frequently 
  complained 
  that 
  the 
  conditions 
  were 
  

   not 
  respected 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  those 
  recruited 
  was 
  frequently 
  

   larger 
  than 
  authorized. 
  

  

  Probably 
  more 
  Indians 
  were 
  used 
  in 
  mining 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  Span- 
  

   ish 
  activity. 
  Ecuador 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  rich 
  in 
  minerals 
  as 
  Bolivia 
  and 
  Peru, 
  

   and 
  mining 
  was 
  limited 
  to 
  the 
  southern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  inhabited 
  

   by 
  the 
  Canari. 
  The 
  first 
  regulation 
  of 
  gold 
  mining 
  in 
  this 
  area 
  was 
  

   issued 
  in 
  1537, 
  only 
  2 
  years 
  after 
  the 
  Conquest. 
  By 
  1544, 
  thousands 
  of 
  

   Canari 
  were 
  working 
  in 
  gold 
  mines 
  and 
  had 
  already 
  extracted 
  300,000 
  

   pesos 
  worth 
  of 
  gold. 
  By 
  1592, 
  the 
  Indians 
  in 
  the 
  Zaruma 
  area, 
  El 
  Oro 
  

   Province, 
  were 
  dead 
  of 
  disease 
  and 
  overwork, 
  and 
  the 
  owners 
  of 
  the 
  

   mines 
  sent 
  long, 
  wordy 
  presentations 
  to 
  the 
  King 
  asking 
  for 
  permis- 
  

   sion 
  to 
  bring 
  in 
  Indians 
  recruited 
  farther 
  north, 
  beyond 
  the 
  Canari 
  

   country. 
  The 
  document 
  points 
  out 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  areas 
  there 
  

   were 
  still 
  many 
  free 
  Indians 
  not 
  living 
  on 
  encomiendas, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  

   avoided 
  the 
  payment 
  of 
  rightful 
  taxes 
  and 
  thus 
  prevented 
  the 
  King 
  

   from 
  collecting 
  his 
  royal 
  fifth. 
  As 
  no 
  Indian 
  will 
  ever 
  work 
  in 
  a 
  mine 
  

   of 
  his 
  own 
  free 
  will, 
  continues 
  the 
  document, 
  it 
  is 
  considered 
  necessary, 
  

   to 
  ensure 
  the 
  cooperation 
  of 
  native 
  rulers 
  and 
  Spanish 
  authorities 
  

   everywhere, 
  to 
  recruit 
  the 
  necessary 
  labor 
  force. 
  Eventually, 
  the 
  

   Viceroy 
  of 
  Toledo 
  changed 
  the 
  tribute 
  from 
  kind 
  to 
  cash 
  to 
  encourage 
  

   work 
  in 
  the 
  mines, 
  and 
  settlements 
  were 
  built 
  around 
  the 
  pits 
  to 
  take 
  

   care 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  arrivals 
  from 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  Saquisli 
  and 
  Otavalo. 
  

   The 
  different 
  ethnic 
  groups 
  were 
  kept 
  apart 
  under 
  their 
  own 
  headmen, 
  

   and 
  priests 
  were 
  brought 
  to 
  catechize 
  them. 
  

  

  