_Which treats of the order they adopted in the payments of tribute by
the provinces to the Kings, and of the system by which the tribute was
regulated._
As in the last chapter I wrote of the method adopted by the Incas in
their conquests, it will be well in this one to relate how they levied
tribute from so many nations. It is a thing very well understood that
there was no village, either in the mountains or in the valleys of the
coast, which did not pay such tribute as was imposed by those who were
in charge. It is said that when, in one province, the people represented
that they had nothing wherewith to pay the tribute, the king ordered
that each inhabitant should be obliged, every four months, to give a
rather large cane full of live lice, which was a sign of the care taken
by the Inca to make every subject contribute something. Thus we know
that they paid their tribute of lice until such time as, having been
supplied with flocks, they had been industrious enough to multiply them,
and to make cloth wherewith to pay more suitable tribute in the time to
come.
The system which the Orejones of Cuzco and the other native lords of the
land say that the Incas adopted in imposing tribute was as follows: He
who reigned in Cuzco, sent some of his principal officers to visit the
empire, one by each of the four royal roads of which I have already
written.[111] One was called Chincha Suyo, which included all the
provinces as far as Quito, with all the valleys of Chincha towards the
north. The second was Conde Suyo, which includes the provinces on the
sea coast, and many in the mountains. The third was called Colla Suyo,
including all the provinces to the south as far as Chile. The last road
led to Ande Suyo, which included the lands covered with forests at the
foot of mountains of the Andes.[112]
So it was that when the lord desired to know what tribute would be due
from all the provinces between Cuzco and Chile, along a road of such
great length, as I have often explained, he ordered faithful persons
whom he could trust, to go from village to village, examining the
condition of the people and their capacity for payment. They also took
note of the productiveness of the land, the quantity of flocks, the
yield of metals, and of other things which they required and valued.
Having performed this service with great diligence they returned to the
lord to submit their reports. He then ordered a general assembly of the
principal persons of the kingdom to meet. The lords of the provinces
which had to pay the tribute being present, he addressed them lovingly,
saying that as they received him as their sole lord and monarch of so
many and such vast districts, they should take it in good part, without
feeling it burdensome, to give the tribute that was due to the royal
person, who would take care that it was moderate, and so light that they
could easily pay it. Having been answered in conformity with his wishes,
the lords of provinces returned to their homes, accompanied by certain
Orejones who fixed the tribute. In some parts it was higher than is paid
to the Spaniards at present. But, seeing that the system of the Incas
was so perfect, the people did not feel the burden, rather increasing
and multiplying in numbers and well being. On the other hand, the
disorder introduced by the Spaniards, and their extreme covetousness,
have caused the prosperity of the country to decrease in such sort that
a great part of the population has disappeared. Their greed and avarice
will destroy the remainder, unless the mercy of God should grant a
remedy by causing the wars to cease. Those wars have certainly been
permitted as a just scourge. The country can only be saved by the
taxation being fixed by moderate rules, so that the Indians may enjoy
liberty and be masters of their own persons and estates, without other
duty than the payment by each village of what has been fixed by rule. I
shall treat of this subject a little more fully further on.
When the officers sent by the Incas made their inspection, they entered
a province and ascertained, by means of the _quipus_, the number of men
and women, of old and young. Then they took account of the mines of gold
and silver, and, with so many thousand Indians at work, the quantity
that should be extracted was fixed. An order was given that such
quantity should be delivered to the overseers. As those who were
employed to work at the extraction of silver could not attend to the
cultivation of their fields, the Inca imposed the duty upon the
neighbouring province to find labour for the sowing and reaping of the
crops of the miners. If the mining province was large, its own
inhabitants were able both to carry on the mining works and to cultivate
the ground. In case one of the miners fell ill, it was arranged that he
should return to his home, and that another should take his place. No
one was employed in the mines who was not married, because the wives had
to supply their food and liquor; besides which, arrangements were made
to send sufficient provisions to the mines. In this manner, although men
might be at the mines all their lives, they were not overworked.
Besides, there was provision to rest for certain days in each month, for
their festivals and for pleasure. But in fact the same Indians did not
always remain at the mines; for there were periodical reliefs.
The Incas so arranged the mining industry, that they extracted great
abundance of gold and silver throughout the empire, and there must have
been years when more than fifty thousand _arrobas_ of silver and fifteen
thousand of gold were produced. It was always used for the royal
service. The metal was brought to the principal place of the province,
and in the manner that the mines were worked in one district in the same
way were they ordered in all the others throughout the empire. If there
were provinces where no metal could be extracted as a tribute, the
people paid taxes in smaller things, and in women and boys, who were
taken from the villages without causing any discontent. For if a man had
an only child it was not taken, but if he had three or four children,
one was required in payment of his dues.
Other provinces made their contributions in the form of so many thousand
loads of maize, at each harvest. Others provided, on the same scale, a
certain number of loads of dried _chuñus_,[113] in the same way as the
maize, and others again paid in _quinua_,[114] or other products. In
other provinces the tribute consisted of so many cloth mantles, and in
others of shirts, according to the number of inhabitants. Another form
of tribute was the supply of so many thousand loads of lances, another
of slings and _ayllos_, and all other kinds of weapons that they used.
Other provinces were required to send so many thousand labourers to
Cuzco, to be employed on the public edifices of the city and of the
kings, with supplies of their needful provisions. Other provinces
contributed cables to move the great stones, while others paid tribute
in coca. The system was so arranged that all the provinces of Peru paid
something to the Incas in tribute, from the smallest to the most
important. Such perfect regularity was maintained that while the people
did not fail to provide what was required, those who made the
collections never took even a grain of maize too much. All the provision
and warlike stores that were contributed, were served out to the
soldiers, or supplied to the garrisons which were formed in different
parts, for the defence of the empire.
When there was no war, a large proportion was eaten and used by the
poor; for when the kings were at Cuzco they were served by the
_anaconas_,[115] which is the name for perpetual servants who sufficed
to till the royal fields, and do service in the palaces. Besides which,
there was always brought for the royal table, from the provinces, many
lambs and birds, fish, maize, coca, edible roots, and all kinds of
fruits.
Such order was maintained in the tribute paid by the Indians that the
Incas became very powerful, and never entered upon any war which did not
extend their dominions.
To understand how, and in what manner, the tributes were paid, and the
other taxes were collected, it must be known that in each _huata_,[116]
which is the name for a year, certain Orejones were sent as judges, but
only with powers to inspect the provinces, and give notice to the
inhabitants that if any felt aggrieved he was to state his complaints,
in order that the officer who had done him the injury might be punished.
Having received the complaints, and also ascertained whether any tribute
had not been paid, the judges returned to Cuzco; whence others set out
with power to inflict punishment on those who were in fault. Besides
this, it was the rule that, from time to time, the principal men of the
provinces should be permitted to appear before the lord, and report upon
the condition of the provinces, on their needs, and on the incidence of
taxation. Their representations then received attention, the Lords Incas
being certain that they did not lie, but spoke the truth; for any deceit
was severely punished, and in that case the tribute was increased. The
women contributed by the provinces were divided between the service of
the kings, and that of the temples of the Sun.