The Organization of Inka Silver Production in Porco, Bolivia

VAN BUREN, MARY AND ANA MARÍA PRESTA

Distant Provinces in the Inka Empire: Toward a Deeper Understanding of Inka Imperialism,

University of Iowa Press

Lugar: Iowa City; Año: 2010; p. 173 - 192

The most important contribution of this chapter is its assesssment of the degree of imperial control in provinces that were distant and ecologically marginal and with low population levels, but that nevertheless held valuable resources for the Inkas. This was the case of Porco, the silver mines located near the city of Potosi, in what was the territory of Qaraqara.  Although this chapter is part of an ongoing research project, the results are already suggestive. Based on a survey around Porco, including limited excavations, ethnohistorical research, and ethnoarchaeological data, the authors of this chapter highlight the economc importance of this region for the Inkas as a sources of valuable metals, including silver. In a region of poor agricultural potential and low population densities, the Inkas intensified the extraction of metal by creating imperial mining facilities staffed wtih mit´a and mitmaq laborers. Whereas nonlocal mit´a workers, perhaps Lupaqa and Caranga origins, were in charge of nonspecialized labor, including the mining, collection, and extraction of ores on a temporal basis, the smelting in wind (huayrachinas) and refining furnaces was conducted by nonlocal specialists.