It’s corvée day!
I am 25 years old, and like the other men in my village, today I am taking part in the mita. That means all the inhabitants of the village must do work for the Kuraka, the village chief. We repair roads, gather fruit and vegetables for the temples and clean the village.
Everyone must take part in the mita. In exchange for our work, the Kuraka gives land to all the families according to their needs. On these lands, we can grow fruits and vegetables and raise llamas, as if the land were our own. The agricultural products and goods we make on behalf of the empire are redistributed to those who need it most, either because they are sick, because the crops have failed or because they cannot make or grow these products in the region where they live. Food must also be distributed among those who are not farmers, such as artisans, who are busy doing other tasks.
Author: Alexandre Lanoix