Mines and the Mita System
The Mita was a labor system imposed by the Spanish colonizers in the Andean region, where indigenous people were forced to work in mines (notably the silver mines of Potosí), parcels (large estates), and obrajes (textile workshops). This system was a form of concertation, meaning the compulsory recruitment of indigenous labor for colonial enterprises.
*WORK TOGETHER*
ºCreate a list of jobs and their duties during XX century
ºCreate a list of jobs and their duties during XXI century
ºNow compare with the slavery and hard working indigenous people had to pass through during colonialism, then make a reflexion about it through a poem.
Interactive Activities:
Role-Play Debate – “The Mita System: For and Against”
Objective: Understand the impacts of the Mita system from multiple perspectives. Instructions:
- Preparation: Divide the class into three groups: indigenous workers, Spanish colonial administrators, and a neutral council (e.g., historians or economists).
- Research: Each group researches arguments supporting their stance on the Mita system.
- Debate: Conduct a structured debate. Indigenous workers express the hardships and injustices they faced, Spanish administrators justify the system’s economic “benefits,” and the neutral council analyzes the arguments, considering moral and economic impacts.
- Reflection: Discuss as a class the contemporary implications of historical labor systems like the Mita.