The mita refers to a compulsory labor system that existed during the colonial era, said labor system arose in America, specifically in the Andean regions, during the Inca period and during the Spanish conquest of America. The works carried out were public, since in this way tribute was paid to the state.
Those who had the obligation to work were all those married men who were between 18 and 50 years old, with skills to work in mines, on farms, temple constructions, bridges, roads and as part of the army. These work activities were carried out in rotating shifts and the state was in charge of providing the workers with their basic needs.
The mita was considered a great source of income, this was made in the lands of the Inca chief or in that of the priests. The obligation implied by the mita lasted as long as the workers were on those lands, since if they abandoned them (which could be done freely) the obligation ceased.
This compulsory labor system continued during the period of Spanish sovereignty, contributing to the internal development of a market economy with services and products for the Spanish crown. Each indigenous group offered the crown a specific number of workers for several months of the year. These workers were taken from their places of origin to the areas where they required their services.
The mita decreed labor quotas which had to be fulfilled by the indigenous population, according to the assignment made by the corregidor (royal official in charge of executing all kinds of public works), both for the service of the encomendero (he was the one who enforced orders of the king) and of the landowner or landowner. In exchange for the workforce, the encomendero had the obligation to catechize in the Catholic religion the people who had been entrusted to him.
