Question
What were Spanish landowners expected to do for indigenous peoples under the encomienda system?
protect them, educate them, and convert them to Christianity
give them shelter and enslaved persons, and pay them money
provide them with their own land
show them a path to freedom
protect them, educate them, and convert them to Christianity
give them shelter and enslaved persons, and pay them money
provide them with their own land
show them a path to freedom
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Under the encomienda system, Spanish landowners were expected to **protect indigenous peoples, educate them, and convert them to Christianity**. The system was designed to allocate indigenous communities to Spanish settlers (encomenderos), who were then responsible for the care and religious instruction of these communities in exchange for labor and tribute. While the reality often involved exploitation and harsh treatment, the encomienda was originally framed as a reciprocal relationship with certain obligations on the part of the landowners.