Above illustration: inca farm llamas exploring the andes mountains https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=inca
Colonisation
The system devised by the Incas to organise and assimilate newly conquered territory was an extension of the idea of work service and was called mit'a-kona.
As soon as any region was conquered, the unreliable part of the local population was moved out and a 'safe' Quechua-speaking population was moved in. These were the mit'a-kona (called mitamaes by the Spaniards). Local customs, dress, and language of the conquered population which remained were allowed, but officials had to learn and use Quechua. It was the duty of the mit'a-kona to bring Inca culture to the newly conquered peoples. The mit'a-kona were of three orders:
Often, when a planned Inca highway ran through an entirely depopulated area, mit'a-kona were placed there to provide upkeep for roads and bridges and to extend the realm of the Inca Empire.
The mit'a-kona were given social and economic benefits much like the benefits given to the soldiers of the Roman legions when serving in distant lands.
The system devised by the Incas to organise and assimilate newly conquered territory was an extension of the idea of work service and was called mit'a-kona.
As soon as any region was conquered, the unreliable part of the local population was moved out and a 'safe' Quechua-speaking population was moved in. These were the mit'a-kona (called mitamaes by the Spaniards). Local customs, dress, and language of the conquered population which remained were allowed, but officials had to learn and use Quechua. It was the duty of the mit'a-kona to bring Inca culture to the newly conquered peoples. The mit'a-kona were of three orders:
- military (to guard frontier stations)
- political (to win over the population and co-ordinate the conquered peoples)
- economic
Often, when a planned Inca highway ran through an entirely depopulated area, mit'a-kona were placed there to provide upkeep for roads and bridges and to extend the realm of the Inca Empire.
The mit'a-kona were given social and economic benefits much like the benefits given to the soldiers of the Roman legions when serving in distant lands.