What was it like in the Inca mit’a/ Independent Peasant Agriculture before the Spanish (before 1492)? What was it like in the Aztec Tribute/ Independent Peasant Agriculture before the Spanish (before 1492)?
What was it like in the Inca mit’a/ Independent Peasant Agriculture before the Spanish (before 1492)? What was it like in the Aztec Tribute/ Independent Peasant Agriculture before the Spanish (before 1492)?
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What was it like in the Inca mit’a/ Independent Peasant Agriculture before the Spanish (before 1492)?
What was it like in the Aztec Tribute/ Independent Peasant Agriculture before the Spanish (before 1492)?
Transcribed Image Text:### Overview
- The Spanish conquered Central and South America in the early 1500s, reshaping the Americas both politically and economically.
- Politically, the Spanish crown (the king) was in charge of the Americas since they were considered part of Spain's maritime (overseas) empire.
- Economically, the Spanish modified labor systems in the Americas. They continued the Inca mit’a system in the Andean mountain region, but changed it to fit their interests. The Spanish also altered the Aztec tribute system and disrupted independent peasant agriculture with the encomienda and hacienda systems.
### Section I – Before the Spanish (1492)
#### Labor Systems Before the Spanish Conquest of the Americas
- Before the Spanish colonized the Americas, two major empires ruled parts of the Americas. The Inca were located in South America around the Andes Mountains (or Andean region). The Aztecs were located in Central America, in modern-day Mexico.
**Inca Empire:**
- The Inca state demands on their conquered people were through labor service, known as mit’a. This was required periodically (at regular intervals) of every household, mandating all males starting at the age of fifteen to do public services until the age of fifty. The Inca rule was flexible on the amount of time one could share on a mit’a turn. Overseers ensured that individuals had enough time for personal care and agriculture after fulfilling their mit’a duty. Independent peasant agriculture was prevalent, with peasants growing their own food for consumption or small trade.
- Some labored on large state farms or “sun farms,” supporting temples and religious institutions. Others mined, served in the military, or worked on state-directed construction projects. The Inca mit’a provided public goods or public projects like road maintenance. Inca subjects performed mit’a obligations in or near their home communities, often in agriculture.
**Aztec Empire:**
- In the Aztec realm, Mexica rulers largely left their conquered people alone if they paid the required tribute. There were no elaborate administrative systems for assimilation. At the height of the Aztec empire, rulers controlled an empire with 489 subject territories. Independent peasant agriculture existed, with peasants required to pay tribute of goods to Aztec rulers from their own land, as shown in "Chinampas Agriculture."
### Visuals
- **Map**: Displays the locations of the Inca and Aztec empires.
- **Three-part
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