Conquest and the tribute system are well known among some cultures of ancient Latin America. One example is the Inca and their conquest of the Aymara during the late fifteenth century. The tribute system completely centralized the Inca economy. In return for loyalty to the Inca, the Aymara were guaranteed material wellbeing. It was enlightened self-interest that prompted the Inca to keep the people healthy and happy rather than paternalistic concern.
However, the Spanish Conquest of Latin
America is different than that of the Inca over the Aymara. In the case of the
Inca and Aymara, the Spanish used the same system of tribute. The Spanish
obtained their wealth from conquest and colonization. In almost every encounter
with native people, the Spanish inquired about gold, silver or other kinds of
resources that would benefit the Spanish Crown.
The Spanish tribute system, unlike that of the Inca, was not concerned with the happiness and wellbeing of the people. The Spanish used any method necessary in obtaining their resources. During the Conquest, slave labor was used as one method of extracting and transporting resources. Extraction of resources continued on through to the colonial times, where the origins of slave labor changed from the indigenous people to African slaves.
During the colonial period, there was a slight change in the tribute
system,
with the coming of more Spanish settlers. Large tracks
of land were used for plantations, farms, haciendas and major cities. For the
construction of these lands, the Spanish used Native, African and Maestro
labor. However, at this time, the Spanish realized they needed strong and
healthy people to build these structures. Most workers lived on the plantations
and haciendas or in nearby towns and villages. They used the same system of
tribute, enacted by the Spanish during the Conquest. The system was copied from
the Inca, and continued to be enforced by the Spanish during the Colonial time
period.
Bodmer, Beatrice Pastor, The Armature of Conquest, Standford University
Press, 1992.
Means, Phillip Ainsworth, Fall of the Inca Empire and the Spanish Rule
in Peru 1530-1780, Gordian Press, 1964.
Foster, George M., Culture and Conquest: America's Spanish Heritage, Wenner-Gren Foundation Anthropological Research, 1960.