Why did the Inca rely on labor taxes instead of tribute paid in goods?

The Inca did not rely on a tribute system of goods because their society functioned without markets. Instead, the Inca state was built upon the mit’a system, a form of labor tax where the peasantry owed their energy to the state rather than material contributions.1

This system was deeply rooted in the social structure of the time. Just as households provided labor to their own ethnic lords and local shrines, they fulfilled their obligations to the Inca state by delivering labor through the mit’a. Under the direction of traditional leaders, people were organized by lineage to perform various state duties, such as:

• Serving in the army12
• Constructing and maintaining public works12
• Working on agricultural projects, such as producing grain for state use12
• Transporting goods along the Inca highway system12

Because household needs were met through reciprocal services among kin and ethnic peers, or through the administrative services of local authorities, there was no traditional tribute system in place. The rare instances of items submitted in kind, such as wild honey or tropical feathers, were exceptions involving gathered rather than cultivated commodities.1