Encyclopedia of the Incas

from conquered groups, including the most feared: the Cañari of Ecuador, the
Chachapoya of northern Peru, and the Caracara of Bolivia.
When conquered people were not serving their mit’a duties, they remained in
their home villages. Most were farmers and herders and made their own tools. It
is not clear whether occupational specialization was widespread at the village
level, although potters, metalworkers, and other craft specialists existed. Hence,
we may assume these were pre-Inca occupations as well. For the Chimú of the
north coast, craft specialization was marked, especially metalworking, and many
of the best metalsmiths were taken to Cuzco and other leading Inca settlements
to make fine goods for the Incas. How this labor was incorporated into the fabric
of life in Cuzco is not known.
Women’s basic activities involved child-rearing, food preparation, spinning
and weaving, as well as helping in the fields, both in preparing the fields and
harvesting. Women picked to serve as chosen women, or aclla, fulfilled specific
activities for the empire (see acllacuna). These women spun and wove cloth for
the state; they entertained and served food and chicha; they acted in religious
roles as attendants in the temples; and they could be given as wives to
administrators. Mamacuna, adult women who oversaw the work of the younger
acllas, were the most important members of the aclla class and made the finest
garments for the Inca nobles and upper administrative personnel. Some noble
Inca women served as priestesses in the temples that worshipped female deities
such as Quilla, the Moon (see Deities). The principal wife and mother of the
Sapa Inca wielded considerable power and influence.
For both conquered people and the Incas, other aspects of village life revolved
around the particular social group to which they belonged. As most Andean
people were organized into ayllus, individuals had responsibilities to their
respective ayllus. These duties included assisting with canal and reservoir
cleaning, preparing food for festivals, and conducting rituals in honor of the
ancestors and deities (see Religion). In addition, ayllu members were expected
to fulfill their labor obligation to the Incas. Thus, if a family had to serve in the
army, other members were required to work their fields while they were gone.
Mit’a labor involved tasks in which a person was skilled, but depended on
what and where the Incas needed a specific task carried out. As mentioned,
many men served in the army. Other jobs included bringing products from the
villages to the Inca centers. Craftspeople may have been required to work at
regional centers making their particular crafts. Building roads and bridges was a