Who was subject to Mita System? a.) Everyone in the Inca Empire b.) Peasants c.) People who broke the law d.) People conquered by the Inca
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The correct answer is d.) People conquered by the Inca.
Explanation
The Mita System was a labor tax implemented by the Inca Empire, which required communities to provide a certain amount of labor to the state, particularly in the form of agricultural work and mining. While it could affect local populations within the empire, it predominantly targeted those conquered by the Inca as a means of resource extraction and control.
The Inca utilized the Mita System to mobilize labor for extensive state projects, including the construction of roads, temples, and agricultural terraces. The system was designed to ensure that the Inca state could sustain its military campaigns and maintain the infrastructure necessary for the administration of their vast empire.
Conquered peoples were subjected to the Mita as a way to integrate them into the Inca economy and reinforce their dominance. For instance, groups such as the Chancas and the Huancas, who were absorbed into the empire, found their labor requisitioned under this system. The Inca rulers justified the Mita as a form of tribute and a civic duty, but it often resulted in harsh conditions for laborers, who were required to work in remote areas, such as the dangerous silver mines at Potosí.
While peasants within the Inca Empire could also be called upon for labor, the Mita was primarily a method for the Inca to exert control over those they had conquered, allowing them to extract resources and consolidate power. Those who were part of the Inca society, especially the nobility, were usually exempt from this harsh labor obligation. Therefore, the Mita System was a tool of imperial expansion and economic exploitation focused mainly on conquered populations.