Forced to work: The repartimiento system of Indians to the mines from Pachuca to Zimapán, 16th and 17th centuries

Abstract

The research addresses the issue of workers in four mining areas: Pachuca, Ixmiquilpan, Tornacuxtla and Zimapán. Due to their proximity and connection, the mining centers should be analyzed as part of the same region, with their own dynamics and in constant transformation. The forms of exploitation and organization of the labour force, the geographical scope of the supply of workers for the repartimiento, are investigated here. Since the supply of labour in New Spain’s mining industry was always a problem, it is essential to determine the causes and solutions that were given to overcome the labour deficit, the struggles that arose over the preference of the Indians to work in the construction of public works rather than in the mining repartimiento and, finally, the complaints of the Indians to the authorities regarding the mining work. The above allows us to know and understand the situation of the mining workers: free, called naboríos, de repartimiento and slaves.