curacas

Curaca (plural curacas) is a term used in the Andean region to denote a local ruler, governor, or chief who administered a territory or community on behalf of larger political authorities, notably the Inca Empire and later Spanish colonial administration. The word derives from Quechua kuraka, meaning "head" or "leader."

Under the Inca, curacas governed districts or ayllu territories and acted as intermediaries between the Sapa Inca and local communities. They were responsible for organizing labor obligations such as the mita, levying tribute, provisioning the state, and mobilizing workers and troops for state projects. They also oversaw local land tenure, justice, and the performance of religious rites connected with state calendars. Curacas were typically drawn from local elite lineages; their authority could be hereditary or conferred by the Inca, blending customary authority with imperial appointment. In many regions they formed a recognizable tier of administration beneath provincial governors and were expected to enforce imperial policy while maintaining social legitimacy through kinship ties and traditional authority.

With the arrival of the Spanish, curacas continued to function as indigenous authorities in some areas, serving as intermediaries in the collection of labor and tribute and in the administration of comunidades. Their powers were curtailed by new official regimes, such as corregidores, although many curacas remained local leaders and navigated between community interests and colonial authority. The term is used in historical contexts to refer to pre-Columbian and colonial-era indigenous leaders and illustrates how central authorities relied on localized elites to govern diverse Andean populations.