mita

American  

[mee-tuh] / ˈmi tə /

noun

1. a colonial system in Peru by which the Spanish government required Indians to perform periodic forced labor, especially in the mines.

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Etymology

Origin of mita

First recorded in 1720–30; from South American Spanish, from Quechua mit'a literally, “turn, time”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mita

Potosí was the first city of capitalism, for it supplied the primary ingredient of capitalism – money Jack Weatherford Alongside the mita, Toledo’s other reforms were the first serious attempt to organise this boom city.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 21, 2016

The mita imposed by Viceroy Toledo in Alto Peru caused demographic collapse, earning the hill in Potosí a Quechua name meaning “the mountain that eats men”.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 21, 2016

Each peasant also worked for the Inca ruler a number of days per month on public works projects, a requirement known as the mita.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 30, 2014

"Yasu saw the bird" is translated as "Yasu-wa tori-o mita" and "The bird saw Yasu" is translated as "Tori-wa Yasu-o mita."

From Scientific American ● Sep. 17, 2013

As the men entered through the archway, the boy Loto pushed quickly past them in his eagerness to get ahead, and, rushing across the room, threw himself into the woman's arms crying happily, "Mita, mita."

From The Girl in the Golden Atom by Ray Cummings

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