ECO 500 Project 1- Melissa Dell, Peru Mining
The Persistent Effect of Peru's Mining Mita by Melissa Dell Melissa Dell wrote a paper of the effects of Peru's Mining Mita. Let's begin with what is a mita? The mita was a forced mining labor system, essentially slavery, in effect in Peru during the rule of the Spanish Empire. The image above outlines the zone of Peru that was affected by the mita. The people within this region were subjected to slavery by the Spanish Empire and forced to work in the mining business for the profitability of the Spanish Empire. This mita began in the year 1573 when the Inca Empire was overthrown and the Council of the Indies was put in place by the Spanish Empire. The Spaniards essentially thought they were entitled to free labor and resources, or rather the right to enslave the native people, and issued an order for one seventh of the adult male population to rotate working in the mines for the Crown. They were not paid for this labor and this lasted for nearly 240 years until ...