All non-nobles in the [G 11 / Inca] Empire had to perform the [I 012 / `mita' tax obligation]. This included building roads and bridges and working in the state mines, as runners on post roads, giving personal service to nobles and other public work (it has been estimated that 30,000 men built the fortress of Sacsayhuaman).
All men were classified by age and capacity to work. The most important was the `puric,' an able-bodied man aged between 25-50 who could work hard in the fields, army or mines.
Some districts of the empire provided special services and so were exempt from the mita. The Chicha people made special carved logs used for sacrificial fires, the Rucana people were used as litter-bearers and the Chumpivilca trained dancers for court. Craftsmen and skilled laborers were also exempt from the tax.
