AP World History (WHAP) 1.4 Deep Dive: Incan Mita System

Summary

In this episode of Antisocial Studies, the focus is on the unique Mita system of the Inca Empire. The Inca, who had no currency or written language, managed their vast empire through a labor exchange system where citizens served the state three times in their lives, contributing to agriculture, construction, and religious duties. The episode delves into the Inca's impressive architecture, their belief in three interconnected worlds, and how they maintained their infrastructure without taxation or slavery. The host challenges the notion that the Mongols were the exception in history, arguing that the Inca's achievements, including their record-keeping system 'khipu,' make them truly exceptional.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The Inca Empire had a unique system called the Mita, which was a form of labor service rather than a monetary or tribute system.
• 🏰 The Inca Empire was organized into provinces called suyu, which were further divided into local communities or ailu, maintaining a degree of local autonomy.
• 🌞 The Inca allowed conquered peoples to keep their religions and local leaders, as long as they showed loyalty and contributed labor to the empire.
• 🛠️ Inca labor service involved working for the state, serving the gods, and contributing to community projects, typically for periods of around 90 days.
• 🏗️ The Inca were known for their impressive architecture, using techniques like trapezoidal shapes to make their buildings earthquake-resistant.
• 🌾 The Inca had no currency and relied on bartering for trade, and the Mita system for labor, which was a significant departure from other empires' practices.
• 🛤️ The Inca built extensive road systems and bridges, comparable to the Romans, using the labor from the Mita system.
• 📚 The Inca did not have a written language but used a complex system of knotted strings called khipu for record-keeping.
• 🌐 The Inca Empire was one of the largest in the world, ruling over more people and land than the Roman Empire at its height.
• 🌟 The Inca civilization is considered exceptional due to its unique approach to governance, architecture, and societal organization without the use of writing, currency, slavery, or wheels.

Q & A

What is the Mita system discussed in the script?

The Mita system was a unique labor organization in the Inca Empire where able-bodied individuals were required to serve the state, their gods, and their community for about 90 days, three times in their life. It was a form of obligatory community service rather than a tax system.

How did the Inca Empire structure its provinces?

The Inca Empire was divided into provinces, which were further broken down into suyu, or main provinces. These suyu were modeled after the Southern Cross constellation, reflecting the Inca's astronomical knowledge.

What was the significance of the Southern Cross in Inca culture?

The Southern Cross was significant in Inca culture as it was used as a model for the division of their empire into four main provinces, or suyu, reflecting the Inca's astronomical and cultural alignment.

How did the Inca treat local communities and leaders after conquest?

After conquering an area, the Inca typically allowed local communities to continue their religious practices and kept local leaders in charge, as long as they showed loyalty to the Inca and contributed to the empire through the Mita system.

What was unique about the Inca Empire's approach to currency and trade?

The Inca Empire did not use currency; instead, they relied on a barter system and the Mita system for labor and resource allocation, which was a unique approach compared to other civilizations of the time.

Why were craftsmen exempt from the Mita system's labor requirements?

Craftsmen were exempt from the Mita system's labor requirements because they were highly valued in the Inca Empire for their skills, particularly in architecture, which was a notable contribution of the Inca civilization.

What is an example of the Inca's architectural achievements?

The Inca's architectural achievements include their use of trapezoidal shapes to create earthquake-proof structures, as seen in the foundations of Cusco and the temple of the Sun in Machu Picchu.

How did the Inca's understanding of astronomy influence their architecture?

The Inca's understanding of astronomy influenced their architecture by designing structures like the temple of the Sun in Machu Picchu, which had specific features that aligned with the sun's movement during solstices.

What is the significance of the Incan trilogy mentioned in the script?

The Incan trilogy refers to the Inca belief in three worlds: the land of men and power (earth, represented by the Puma), the land of the afterlife (underworld, represented by the serpent), and the land of the gods and freedom (epitomized by the Condor). This belief system was reflected in their capital city Cusco and the layout of Machu Picchu.

How did the Inca record-keeping system, known as khipu, work?

The khipu was a record-keeping system used by the Inca, which involved tying knots in ropes of different colors to represent information. The exact method of how khipu worked is still being studied, but it is known to have been a complex system of communication and record-keeping without the use of written language.

Why did the Inca not use wheels for transportation despite being aware of their existence?

The Inca did not use wheels for transportation because they lived in the Andes Mountains where the terrain was not suitable for wheeled vehicles. Instead, they relied on human labor and their domesticated animals, like llamas and alpacas, for carrying goods.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 The Unique Mita System of the Inca Empire

The speaker expresses their admiration for the Inca civilization, highlighting the Mita system as a unique and effective method for labor organization. The Inca Empire, unlike others, did not use currency but instead relied on a labor contribution system where individuals served the state, their gods, and their community. This system was part of the Inca's broader administrative structure, which included provinces and local rulers. The speaker also touches on the Inca's respect for local customs and leaders, allowing conquered peoples to maintain their religious practices and social structures, as long as they were loyal to the Inca and contributed to the empire.

05:02

🛕 Serving the State, Gods, and Community in the Inca Empire

This paragraph delves into the specifics of the Mita system, explaining the three forms of service required: service to the state, which could involve farming, construction, or military service; service to the gods, which might include building and maintaining temples and shrines; and service to the community, which could involve contributing to infrastructure like roads and bridges. The speaker emphasizes the Inca's impressive architectural achievements, such as their earthquake-resistant buildings and the precision of their stonework. The paragraph also describes the Inca's astronomical knowledge and how it influenced the design of structures like the Temple of the Sun in Machu Picchu.

10:03

🌏 The Inca Trilogy and the Civilization's Exceptional Nature

The speaker discusses the Inca belief system, which consists of three worlds: the land of men and power (earth), the land of the afterlife (underworld), and the land of the gods and freedom. They explain how the Inca capital, Cusco, and the sacred valley were designed to reflect these beliefs, with Cusco shaped like a puma and Machu Picchu resembling a condor from above. The speaker argues that the Inca are an exception to the patterns seen in other civilizations, having built a vast empire without writing, currency, slavery, or the use of wheels. They mention the khipu, a record-keeping system using knotted ropes, as an example of the Inca's unique approach to administration. The paragraph concludes with a challenge to John Green's view on the Mongols as an exception, asserting that the Inca are the true exception due to their distinct methods of governance and societal organization.

Keywords

💡Inca Empire

The Inca Empire was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America, known for its vast territory and advanced civilization. It was characterized by a complex social structure and remarkable architectural achievements. In the video, the speaker expresses admiration for the Inca's unique approach to governance and their ability to manage a large empire without a formal currency system.

💡Mita system

The Mita system was a form of rotational labor service in the Inca Empire, where citizens were required to work for the state for a certain period. It was a key component of the Inca's economic and social structure, allowing for large-scale projects without the need for a currency or taxation. The video delves into how this system was implemented and its significance in the functioning of the empire.

💡Ailu

Ailu refers to the local communities or kinship groups within the Inca Empire. The Inca allowed these local groups to maintain their autonomy and customs, which contributed to the stability and cohesion of the empire. The speaker mentions that the Inca integrated conquered peoples into their empire by maintaining the local leadership and religious practices, as long as they showed loyalty and performed labor service.

💡Suyu

Suyu were the four main provinces into which the Inca Empire was divided, each representing a quadrant of the empire and mimicking the Southern Cross constellation. This division was part of the Inca's administrative structure, which allowed for efficient governance over their vast territories. The video discusses how the Inca organized their empire and how the concept of suyu played a role in this organization.

💡Labor service

In the Inca Empire, labor service was a fundamental aspect of the Mita system, where citizens were required to work for the state in various capacities, such as farming, construction, or military service. This system provided a means for the Inca to carry out large-scale projects and maintain their infrastructure without a formal currency or taxation system. The video highlights the importance of labor service in the Inca's unique approach to empire management.

💡Architecture

The Inca were renowned for their architectural achievements, which included the use of precisely cut stones that fit together without mortar. Their buildings were designed to be earthquake-resistant, using trapezoidal shapes and other innovative techniques. The speaker in the video provides an example of Inca architecture's durability, mentioning how Inca structures withstood earthquakes while later Spanish constructions did not.

💡Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is a famous Inca site, believed to have been a religious center. The video discusses the significance of Machu Picchu in the context of the Mita system, as it was likely built and maintained by laborers serving their gods. The speaker also describes a solstice ceremony where sunlight would enter the temple and illuminate the mummified former emperors, illustrating the Inca's advanced understanding of astronomy and their integration of religion and architecture.

💡Astronomy

The Inca had a deep understanding of astronomy, which they incorporated into their architecture and religious practices. The video mentions how the Inca designed structures like the temple at Machu Picchu to align with solar events, such as the solstice, showcasing their sophisticated knowledge of the movement of celestial bodies and their integration into their culture.

💡Inca trilogy

The Inca trilogy refers to the Inca belief system's three-tiered world view, consisting of the land of men (the Puma), the underworld (the Serpent), and the land of the gods (the Condor). The video explains how the Inca's capital, Cusco, and the sacred valley were designed to reflect this belief system, with Cusco shaped like a puma and Machu Picchu resembling a condor from above, symbolizing the journey from the earthly realm to the divine.

💡Khipu

Khipu were a system of record-keeping used by the Inca, consisting of knotted strings that encoded information. The video discusses how the Inca used khipu instead of a written language for administrative purposes, indicating their unique approach to organizing and managing information within their empire.

Highlights

Introduction to the Inca civilization and the unique Mita system

The Inca Empire's administrative structure with provinces and local rulers

The concept of suyu, the four main provinces, and their relation to the Southern Cross

The preservation of local customs and leadership under Inca rule

The absence of currency in the Inca Empire and reliance on bartering and labor

The Mita system requiring citizens to serve the state three times in their life

The three forms of Mita service: state, gods, and community

Craftspeople's exemption from Mita service due to their high value in the Inca society

Inca architecture's precision and earthquake-proof techniques

The significance of trapezoidal shapes in Inca architecture for earthquake resistance

The role of the temple of the Sun in Machu Picchu and the solstice ceremony

The Inca belief system's three worlds: land of men, underworld, and land of the gods

The shape of the ancient city of Cusco resembling a puma, symbolizing the land of power

The Inca's advanced infrastructure including road systems and bridges

The Inca's agricultural practices and community service aspect of the Mita system

The Inca's resistance to Spanish conquest and their unique record-keeping method, khipu

The Inca's exceptional civilization without writing, currency, slavery, or wheels

Conclusion and encouragement to explore more about the Inca civilization

Transcripts

hey welcome back to antisocial studies

today we're gonna talk about the Inka I

love the Inka so much I did an entire

podcast episode about them you can find

it in my youtube playlists podcasts or

anywhere you listen to podcasts anti

social studies oh it's so good I've been

to Peru twice I'm just like I'm a big

fan real into them so today I want to do

a deep dive on the Mita system because

the meanta system is something that's

really unique it's like an amazing piece

of kind of specific evidence that you

can use in a lot of ways when you're

talking about the late post-classical

era because really it's one of those

rare examples we're like really the rest

of the world had figured out kind of one

way to gain money and labor and the

resources that you need to run a massive

Empire and the Inka came up with

something totally different and unique

and in my opinion way better so first

let's just really quickly look at the

Inca Empire I'm gonna go on a few

tangents because I just like love them

so much they're so interesting but the

Inca did have this sort of bureaucratic

kind of breakdown if their empire just

like we see in others right where you

break it down into provinces and then

you have local rulers that sort of thing

they broke those down into suyu which

were the four kind of main provinces

they mimicked the Southern Cross in the

sky the Southern Cross is like the

southern hemisphere's version of the

North Star I'm gonna talk more about

astronomy in a second um and then within

that though they really left a lot up to

local rulers so they they maintained

what are called the ailu or the local

communities and basically when they

would conquer those places and

incorporate them in they typically

allowed them to keep practicing their

religion they just said as long as you

worship the Sun God - we're good they

kept local leaders in charge they kept

these like kinship groups all intact and

just said you just gotta be like loyal

to us you got to do some work for us and

so this is how they organized the Metis

system so when i say that inca are

really unique i say they're unique

because they had no currency they didn't

have any money in the Incan Empire um

all they had was they used bartering and

then and instead of a sort of like

tribute system like the Aztec had where

you had to pay tribute with people or

cry

or goods or anything else or like

currency like we see developing in kind

of afro-eurasia they just use labor they

basically just said you have to serve

your state three times in your life

so the Mita system is a lot more

complicated than this actually but

essentially you had to kind of anyone

who was willing or not willing anyone

who is physically able to had to serve

there's the Inca state three times in

their life for these kind of chunks of

around 90 days and so there were three

things you had to do you had to serve

your state so for around 90 days you

would serve your state by it kind of was

whatever the state needed or whatever

your kind of local region or province

needed you might be farming some lands

that were owned by the Emperor you might

be working on building noble palaces you

might be serving in the military there

the craftspeople were exempt from that

because craftsmen were highly valued in

the Incan Empire one of their most

notable contributions is their

architecture um you can see in this

picture down here with kind of the Incan

foundations this is a photo I took in in

Cusco I mean these stones are all still

the original Incan stones and it's kind

of hard to tell here but there's no

mortar what that means is there's

there's nothing keeping these stones

together except that they fit perfectly

together like a puzzle and so if you

ever travel around kind of the former

Incan Empire you'll see kind of more

modern buildings on top but they're

still being built on these Inca

foundations because they're so solid

they built their homes and structures to

be earthquake-proof using trapezoids so

all of the entryways and stuff are the

sort of trapezoidal shape that makes

them earthquake proof in fact in one of

their they're kind of temple to the sun

in cusco which was kind of their main

place of worship when the Spanish took

over they build like a church and kind

of monastery on top and actually around

it they like keep the Incan walls there

but then they plaster over it and they

build their own things to build this

church and in the 20th century Peru had

a massive earthquake and all of the

Spanish building fell apart and fell

down but the Inka foundations and the

inca walls stayed up which is really

really amazing so again you might be

serving your state bye bye bill

some of these things right so you can

also notice if you see an architecture

the smoother the stones and the less

gaps there are the more important that

building would be so if you go to like a

holy site right for their religion you

would see the best of the architecture

when you go to just kind of the regular

homes of the regular people you might

see some gaps you'll see some plants

growing in between but in general ink

and architecture is like pristine they

actually had architectural schools they

had training when the Spanish arrived in

Cusco they're amazed at how organized

the city is okay so service your state

you also had to pay service to your gods

as one part of your Mita again that

could be farming lands that belong to

priests that could be building temples

or just serving in temples and attending

to shrines keeping them up and running

right so this might be the people who

were building Machu Picchu and would

have been kind of serving their gods

Machu Picchu as far as we know was

really just a religious Center really

the only people living there full-time

would have been the priests like

honoring the gods and the people working

there and serving the priests doing

their Mita this down here in the bottom

left corner is the temple of the Sun in

Machu Picchu and so this would have been

one of the things that people might have

built one of the really cool things

about this building is you can see these

trapezoidal little like they're not

Windows little kind of pockets within

the temple so when this would have been

full and covered it would have been

incredibly dark inside but they

understood the movement of the Sun and

and like the the longest and shortest

days of the year so that on the on the

longest day of the year

the Solstice basically there would be a

parade of the former Incan Emperor's who

were all mummified so if you were an

Incan Emperor and you died you were

mummified and you still lived in your

palace and were served by your people in

your palace in death of the Incan

mummies clothes are changed still

everyday the Inca was never supposed to

wear the same clothes twice and white by

Inca I mean the leader that was the name

for their leader and so on this massive

festival to the Sun they would kind of

march down to much for much up to Machu

Picchu all of the former mummified Incan

Emperor's they would place the

and these like trapezoidal little

pockets and when the Sun like rose on

the longest day of the year it would

shine up through the mountains through

this gate they had built perfectly it

would shine into the windows and it

would shine light directly on to the

Incan mummies and in fact when the Incan

Emperor's were mummified they were

mummified with their mouths wide open

exactly for the ceremony so that the son

would like go into their mouth and give

them sort of life in death they ink are

really badass you should just like read

a ton about them the last way that you

would serve your Mita is to serve your

community and this is one thing that the

Inka they're not unique right people had

to build roads and other places but

seeing your community as really on the

same level as your state your leadership

and your God is is really your gods are

really important and so this is one of

the reasons why the Inka had some of the

best infrastructure in the world is

because they had this dedicated source

of labor that wasn't I mean its coerced

labor but it's not slavery you're

serving your community right it's it's

essentially in lieu of taxes so if I

were if the Inka were running you know

the United States today instead of

paying taxes every year I might spend a

few weeks out of every year going and

like working on bridges and making sure

that they're all up to date right so

they built amazing road systems as good

as or better than the Roman roads they

also built incredible bridges across

these huge parts of the Andes Mountains

they maintained these agricultural

storehouses and kind of maintains the

terraced farming that they used if you

were a farmer or a fisherman that was

your meat

you were like kind of giving some of

your crops or your fish to your

community right and so that's the Mita

system right they do this without any

sort of Taxation they for the most part

of to do this with very little force

because of that bureaucracy where the

ailu the local leadership just says all

right cool you're up it's your turn to

go do me tell you're gonna go work on

the bridges you're gonna go serve the

priests over here and then they come

back and like keep existing and they

kind of love being a part of the Incan

Empire now I want to go on two quick

side notes just while I have you here

they're really quick the first side note

is about the Incan trilogy which is like

one of my favorite facts

of all time so according to the Incan

belief system there were three worlds

there was the land of men and power that

was the earth it was represented by the

Puma then there was the land of the

afterlife in the underworld this is not

hell

the Spanish are gonna like make it into

hell it's not hell it's the world where

you go when you die and it's the

underworld and is purifying basically

you purify yourself of what we would now

call maybe sins and it's represented by

the snake or the serpent and then once

you go through that purification you

ascend to the land of the gods and

freedom which is epitomized by the

Condor the bird now if you were to look

above like the sacred valley which is

this beautiful part of Peru which is

like the heart of the Incan Empire you

would see that they constructed their

capital city Cusco make it on my pen to

be this the original shape of the

ancient city of Cusco is in the shape of

a puma because that's the land of power

and mint that's where like the Emperor's

live then if you were to look at a map

of Cusco it's right along a massive

beautiful river that's right here called

the Urubamba River um and so you would

travel through the sacred Valley I've

never seen a more beautiful place in my

life traveling along this massive River

with these huge mountains surrounded by

clouds so you travel through the world

of the Serpent and you eventually if you

follow that route Obama River you end up

at Machu Picchu which from the sky looks

like a condor I just think this is

amazing right they're doing all of this

they're building these massive

structures with huge boulders that weigh

multiple tons in Machu Picchu they're

carrying them up a mountain with they

don't have any domesticated animals

llamas can't do that right alpaca can't

do that they really are an amazing late

post classical civilization that I

really encourage you look into so I'm

gonna take issue with John Green hey

John Green I'm sure you're watching my

youtube channel you always say the

Mongols are the exception and I

respectfully disagree

I think the inca are the exception to

all the rules the mongols i'll talk

about later they actually like do all

the same things that other

post-classical states do they just do

them in a more badass way the inker the

exception the ink

this massive civilization they rule over

more people in the Roman Empire dead

more land and they do it with no writing

no currency no slavery and no wheels

they knew what wheel existed they have

it for children's toys but they're like

we're in the middle of Andes Mountains

I'm gonna use a wheel it's all like

human labor um with the no riding this

is an example of khipu which is what

they had for record-keeping instead of a

written system where you tie knots and

rope to kind of keep records and we're

still not sure exactly how it worked but

there are still students today that are

studying this and are finding that like

the different colors of the rope

symbolize different things and they have

this really intricate way of like

running their empire that's just super

unique and as we look throughout unit

one and we see a lot of similarities

across civilizations we see a lot of

civilizations doing similar things under

different names the inca are really

fascinating to study because they came

up with really their own way of doing

things and they're gonna do it very

successfully until the Spanish come and

conquer and even then they're gonna

resist Spanish conquest for like forty

years so good ani inca nicely done as

always there are more resources at anti

social studies org including you should

check out that podcast episode it's in

season two it's called dang I wish I was

an Inca if you're more interested in

this check it out

on Spotify it wherever you get your

podcasts or here on my youtube channel

thanks bye