Which term refers to the Inca labor system?

Which term refers to the Inca labor system?

• A. Encomienda
• B. Black Codes
• C. Mita
• D. Mercantilism

Answer: (C)

Mita is the Inca system of labor, a rotating obligation in which communities sent workers to the state for public projects and, especially, mines. This corvée-like labor was part of how the empire organized tribute without money, distributing work across provinces in cycles and tying effort to state needs. The term itself comes from Quechua and means a “turn” or duty, reflecting how families took turns contributing labor rather than paying taxes in coin. The other options point to different contexts: encomienda is a Spanish colonial labor grant system, Black Codes are post–Civil War Southern laws, and mercantilism is an economic theory about accumulating wealth through trade and colonies. So mita best naming the Inca labor practice.

Mita is the Inca system of labor, a rotating obligation in which communities sent workers to the state for public projects and, especially, mines. This corvée-like labor was part of how the empire organized tribute without money, distributing work across provinces in cycles and tying effort to state needs. The term itself comes from Quechua and means a “turn” or duty, reflecting how families took turns contributing labor rather than paying taxes in coin. The other options point to different contexts: encomienda is a Spanish colonial labor grant system, Black Codes are post–Civil War Southern laws, and mercantilism is an economic theory about accumulating wealth through trade and colonies. So mita best naming the Inca labor practice.