The Khipu of Chupachu: The Organization of Labor among the Taxable Population in the Inca Empire

Abstract

Drawing on the Chupachu khipu data, the authors examine labor obligations and labor organization in Inca’s economy, and discuss their relationship to the social structure of the Inca empire. They trace the link between the financial profits of the empire and the calendar system of the Inca, as well as the population dynamics; and they further analyze the principles of the state fiscal policy.