Mit'a

Okay, so imagine you have a group of friends who all have to help clean up a big mess. But, you don't want to do all the work yourself, right? So, you make a rule that everyone has to do their fair share of cleaning up. That's kind of like what the mit'a was in the Inca Empire.

The Inca Empire was a big group of people who lived in what is now South America. And just like in your group of friends, they wanted everyone to do their fair share of work. So, they came up with the mit'a system.

The mit'a system said that everyone between the ages of 15 and 50 had to work for the government for a certain amount of time each year. That might mean doing things like building roads, farming, or working in mines. But, just like in your group of friends, they didn't want anyone to have to work too much or too little. So, they made sure that everyone did about the same amount of work.

Now, you might be thinking, "But I don't want to have to work for the government!" And that's a fair point. But, in the Inca Empire, people actually liked the mit'a system. That's because the government took care of their needs while they were working, like providing food and shelter. Plus, everyone knew that they were doing their part to help their community and keep everything running smoothly.

Overall, the mit'a system was like a way of making sure everyone did their fair share of work, and it helped the Inca Empire to thrive for many years. So, even though it might sound like a lot of work, it was actually an important part of their way of life.