Above illustration: Incan hutt - https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=inca
Taxation
In order to run the government, the Inca needed food and resources which they acquired through taxes. Each ayllu was responsible for paying taxes to the government. The Inca had tax inspectors that watched over the people to make sure that they paid all their taxes. The name for the inspectors 'tokoyrikoq' is translated as 'he who sees all'.
There were two types of taxes the commoners had to pay:
Each ayllu cultivated fields within its communally held lands for the Sun and the Inca (that is, for religion and the state). The crops from these fields, planted and harvested communally, were then stored for official use and were divided up three ways:
The second type of tax was called the mit'a. The mit'a was a labor tax that each man between the ages of 16 and 60 had to pay by working for the government for a portion of the year. Only the state and religious officials were exempt. They worked various jobs such as labourers on government buildings eg temples, forts and royal residences, roads, or mining for gold. All was under the supervision of professionals. Accurate records of work service for each community were kept on a knotted string-- the quipu.
In addition to work service, every commoner formed part of a land army and was liable to military service at any given moment. When he was absent on a military campaign other members of the ayllu cultivated and harvested his allotment of land.
In order to run the government, the Inca needed food and resources which they acquired through taxes. Each ayllu was responsible for paying taxes to the government. The Inca had tax inspectors that watched over the people to make sure that they paid all their taxes. The name for the inspectors 'tokoyrikoq' is translated as 'he who sees all'.
There were two types of taxes the commoners had to pay:
Each ayllu cultivated fields within its communally held lands for the Sun and the Inca (that is, for religion and the state). The crops from these fields, planted and harvested communally, were then stored for official use and were divided up three ways:
- the first third went to the government
- the second third went to the priests
- the final third was for the people
The second type of tax was called the mit'a. The mit'a was a labor tax that each man between the ages of 16 and 60 had to pay by working for the government for a portion of the year. Only the state and religious officials were exempt. They worked various jobs such as labourers on government buildings eg temples, forts and royal residences, roads, or mining for gold. All was under the supervision of professionals. Accurate records of work service for each community were kept on a knotted string-- the quipu.
In addition to work service, every commoner formed part of a land army and was liable to military service at any given moment. When he was absent on a military campaign other members of the ayllu cultivated and harvested his allotment of land.