The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-06-02
The DEBT Slaves OF THE ANDES
Queer Features of Life and Work Among The In
dian Poems of The Peruvian Plateau
CUZCO, Peru.

hundreds of thousands and the most
of them are in the direSt of bondage.
This mighty plateau, between the
two ranges Of mountains, is divided
into farms haciendas, owned by
the whites, the descendants of the
Spaniards, or by the Cholos, a mix
ture of Spaniards mad Indians. These
estates are large. You may ride all
day across many Of them and not
come to the end of the property. Each
Of them has a large number of In
dams upon il and these Indians are
practically the debt slaves of the own
ers. They live in villages or in hutS,
scattered over the property. The land
belongs to the haciendados and the
Indians have their huts and small
pieces of land, which are leased to
them under certain conditions. One
or these is that the Indian must work
a part of each week for his master.
He may have cattle. llamaS, alpacaS
and sheep, but he has to give a GER
tain percentage of the increase to the
~haciendados. There are, also, fixed
rules as to how the stock must be sold
and the estate owner controls the dis
position of this and Of all the pro-
ducts hat the Indians raise. He
practically fixes the prices and he
gets everything for a song. The haci-
make such advances to the
ndian as keep him in a state OF
dept slavery, and this state is rams
mitted to his children. The condi-
tions are different in the different
provinces and in some places they
are rnilder than in others. But all
over the plateau they are such that
the red man has practically no nance
OF accommodating property or Of ad-
vancing in the state of civilization.
/ have just had a long ak with q
~haciendado, who lives here in Cuzco.
He owns 2S8, 900 acres of land at
C~usipata, in the province of Paucar-
tando. but he goes there only during
a part of the summer, and spends
his money abroad. He has a house
here in Cuzco, and his Indians bring
the crops here to market This mans
estate represents about the worst Of
the conditions on the high Andes. He
was very free in talking about them,
n he seems to have no shame in
the part he is taking in them. I shall
give our conversation as it occurred.
Said he:
Land here is cheap. The estate at
Cusipata cost US only about 4 cents
the stock, which consisted of a large
number OF cattle. alpacas and sheep,
for 10000 sOles, or about SIC, 1000.
hin we would sell it for twice tina
amount today. Much of the and is
high. running up to 5000 feet above
- otd hiS 10 Hlteu OILY lOT pas
ture. We have also some which is as
low as 10000 feet, upon which bar
ley. potatoes, Quinua and other crops
can be grown. We have big flocks
OF alpacas. and altogether about 5000
sheep. We have also cattle anG
horses and llamas and donkeys.
The most important possession o
the farm, however, is our indian
Our lands are valuabl not accordins
To their area, but according to tn,
numbe of families of Indians VIII,
have homes upon them and ar
therefore obliged to work for tn,
owners. The great trouble here i
labor. If we do not have the Indian
on the estates we can get no one t
work them. Therefore we hold then
by keeping them more or less il
debt to us. We advance money 70
their expenses. and also for the pur
chase of the cattle, llamaS. alpaca
and other stock that they own. Thi
is done from time to time until the
are so deep in our debt they canno
get out. We want to keep them i
debt. for this is the only way we ca
he sure of holding them to the lanC
The Indian seldom pays his debt.
He has been accustomed for genera
tons to our system, and the only wa
he could pay would be by gettin
some other farmer to assume his OF
legation to us. In that case hi coul
move. but he would be only goin
from one master to another"
But how do the Indians begin the
life on the farm" l asked.
They come first to get homes an
pastures for their stock, as we'll S
have lands to cultivate. They hay
no land of their own and no none
to buy it, so they rent the and of u
As they have no money, the conc
tions of the rent are that they mu
work a part of each week for us. A
cordins to my contracts every India
man has to work five days for the e
tate. In his lease he agrees to gil
all of his Mondays, Tuesdays, We
nesdays. Thursdays and Fridays to n
and to have only Saturday n Sund;
for himself. This is the rule throug
out the year with tho exception
holidays and saints days. In additi,
W. have special arrangements as to
stock. providing that it must be SO
to us at fixed prices"