Yanakuna facts for kids

Yanakuna were people in the ancient Inca Empire. They were different because they did not live in the usual ayllu system. Instead, they worked full-time for important people like the Inca ruler, the Inca queen (called quya), or for religious groups. Some Yanakuna even became high-ranking officials and owned land.

When the Spanish arrived, the Yanakuna continued to work for them. They became helpers for the Spanish, sometimes in military groups or on large farms.

What Does "Yanakuna" Mean?

The word yana comes from Quechua, the main language of the Inca. It can mean "black" or "servant." It might also come from the word yanapa, which means "to help." The ending -kuna means "many" or "plural." So, yanakuna means "servants" or "helpers."

You might also see the word spelled yanacona or yanaconas.

Yanakuna in the Inca Empire

In the Inca Empire, the Yanakuna were servants to the Inca leaders. But they were not slaves. They had different ways of becoming Yanakuna:

• Some were born into this role, as it could be passed down in families.
• Some chose to leave their ayllu (community group) to work as Yanakuna.
• Some were chosen by nobles.

Yanakuna did many jobs. They looked after animal herds, fished, made pottery, built things, and worked in homes. Some Yanakuna even held important jobs in the Inca government.

It is important to know that Yanakuna were different from Mitma. Mitma were large groups of people moved for big projects, like building Machu Picchu. Yanakuna, however, were moved individually and were not part of an ayllu. For example, Mitma workers built Machu Picchu, but Yanakuna lived there and served the Inca.

In Chile, the Mapuche people used this word for people they thought were not loyal to their own group.

Yanakuna in the Spanish Empire

When Spanish conquistadors came to Peru, the Yanakuna helped them take control of the Inca Empire. The Spanish started using the name yanakuna for the native people who worked for them. This included people working on farms or as soldiers.

After the Spanish conquest, Yanakuna became very important workers. They worked as craftspeople and laborers in both cities and the countryside. They helped the new Spanish economy grow.

Early Spanish Rule

At first, the Spanish made native people pay taxes and work through a system called encomienda. In this system, native communities had to provide labor and goods, often silver, to the Spanish crown.

However, Yanakuna were often separate from this system. They did different kinds of work. For example, in the Potosi silver mines, many native people did the hardest jobs. But Yanakuna often worked as skilled artisans. Some Yanakuna did work in the mines from the 1540s, but they were paid workers, not forced laborers like others.

Yanakuna in Mining and the Mita System

Later, a new system called the mita was started by Viceroy Francisco de Toledo. This system replaced the encomienda. Under the mita, villages near Potosi had to send about one-seventh of their men (aged 18 to 50) each year to work in the mines. This change happened because the Spanish wanted more silver and needed more workers.

Even with the mita, Yanakuna remained important. As the number of other native workers in Potosi decreased, the number of Yanakuna increased. While mitayos (mita workers) did important jobs, they were not the majority of workers. For instance, in 1603, only about 5,100 out of 58,800 workers in Potosi were mitayos. The number of mitayos kept going down, while the number of Yanakuna went up. By the late 1600s, Yanakuna made up about 40% of the working population.

The Spanish government preferred workers who volunteered. Even though Yanakuna were servants, many historians believe that after the new rules, the Yanakuna in Potosi were like "free laborers." It was better for them to work for regular wages than for the lower wages of the mitayos.

Yanakuna in Other Jobs

As Spanish settlers brought European farming to Peru, Yanakuna also worked on farms. Here, "Yanakuna" meant workers who lived permanently where they worked. The Spanish preferred Yanakuna over African slaves because Yanakuna knew both native and European farming methods. They also did not need to be bought.

Yanakuna workers made up a large part of the workforce in many areas. For example, in the Huamanga region of Peru, Spanish settlers relied more and more on Yanakuna workers. This was because the mita system became less reliable. This happened in farming, mining, ranching, and manufacturing.

In these work agreements, a Yanakuna promised to work for a master. In return, they received food, land, and credit. These types of work agreements, separate from the ayllus, became common. Spanish employers wanted to make sure they had enough workers. Sometimes, factory owners brought workers from their ayllus to live and work like Yanakuna.

Even though Yanakuna were separate from their ayllus, they still had community ties. Many owned land, and some lived with their families on the farms where they worked. Yanakuna often moved with their families.

In cities, Yanakuna owned and passed down property. Unlike many other native workers in cities, who often did domestic work, urban Yanakuna had a higher status. They worked as skilled craftspeople. They also learned Spanish customs and language more easily. Some experts believe that this move into city life was a new way for Yanakuna to continue old Andean traditions of moving to find different ways to live.

The term yanakuna was also used during the conquest of Chile and in other parts of South America, like the New Kingdom of Granada.

Modern Use of the Word

Today, in Chile, some people use "yanacona" as an insult for Mapuche people they believe have been disloyal to their community. Using this word in the news has even led to legal cases in Chile.

See also

In Spanish: Yanacona para niños