What was the labor system used by the Spanish in colonial Peru requiring Indigenous peoples to work in agriculture and mines?

The Mita System was a labor system employed by the Spanish in colonial Peru that required Indigenous peoples to work in agriculture and mines. Originating from an existing Inca practice, the Mita System was adapted and expanded by the Spanish to serve their colonial economic needs. Under this system, Indigenous communities were mandated to provide a certain percentage of their male population to work in mines, particularly silver mines like those at Potosí, as well as in agricultural production.

This system was economically beneficial for the Spanish colonial rulers, allowing them to exploit the labor of Indigenous people while ostensibly providing them with minimal compensation. The conditions under the Mita were often harsh and led to significant population declines among Indigenous groups due to the demands of labor combined with inadequate living conditions.

While the Encomienda System and the Repartimiento also involved labor extraction from Indigenous peoples, they had different structures and implications. The Encomienda granted Spanish settlers control over Indigenous labor but was more focused on agricultural land and tribute collection. The Repartimiento was somewhat similar to the Mita but involved a rotation system for laborers that was less formalized and did not focus exclusively on mining. The Tribute System, on the other hand, was primarily about taxation and did not require labor