The establishment of the "mita" for silver exploitation in the Mariquita Mines in the New Kingdom of Granada produced the incorporation of Indians as workforce for its benefit. The mitayos were recruited through the socalled "conductions" from their settlement areas in the provinces of Tunja and Santa Fe, and then they were taken to the silver mining areas. Facing the recognition of natives as vassals of the king, the authorities of the Royal Court had to establish a "salary" in order to recognize the work in the mines. The complexity of these circumstances for the survival of the indigenous workers and the operation of the exploitation mechanisms are the coordinates that will be analyzed herein.