THE TAHUANTINSUYO

They established a land division system with parts belonging to the Sun, to the Inka, and to the State. Like that they guaranteed their flourishing social security system in order to aid old people, orphans, widows or unfortunate people. Logically the biggest portion of lands were devoted to be shared among common people. Thus, every newborn boy had right to one "topo" of fertile farming land and every girl to a half "topo" (topo or tupu: changing measure based on the human step equivalent to about 2700 m²; 0.27 Ha.; 0.67 acres). All lands were the state's property and they could not be inherited or sold; thus when a person died his or her farmland was taken by another newborn. Moreover, they established a planned sedentarism for all the population, trying to get a land-man balance with the "mitimaes" that were people or tribes displaced from their hometowns.

It is really difficult to catalogue the Inkan Society in the right way. That is determined by the heterogeneous historical interpretation systems; that is, the different positions, philosophies, interests, nationalities and even races of the many scholars occupied on it. In general terms, those who study only or principally the Inkan nobility suggest that this was an enslaving or early feudal society. Those who study principally the "runa" or common people suggest that it was socialist or social-imperialist. In synthesis, the society that was developed, lived and practiced by the Quechuas was peculiar and unique, it has no equivalent in traditional European societies. Thus its production mode is also sui-generis and must be considered as it is; out of the considered by many scholars "infallible" schemes. It is outrageous to argue that the Tawantinsuyo was a society of the "bronze age" only taking in mind that bronze was the hardest metal they got, without considering their development in planning, social organization, agriculture, architecture, engineering, etc., that was ahead of many Old World contemporary societies. The Tawantinsuyo was characterized by its absolute and monarchical government that developed paternal patterns for their people. People among who there was neither private property nor starvation. Protected people who lacked little, in counterpart, were devoted to work and obedient to the law; making altogether a society that was not perfect but very well balanced. Consequently, modern scholars such as Jose Tamayo classify the Tawantinsuyo framed inside the "Theory of reciprocity and redistribution, and the vertical control of ecological stages in the Highlands and Coast of southern Peru".

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