Encomienda
The rulers of Spain wanted to make clear the role of American Indians in their new world colonies. They did so with a system they had used before with Muslims living in Spain. It was known as encomienda.
Defining Trust
Encomienda comes from a Spanish word that means "to entrust." After a battle, the Spanish government entrusted to a soldier or an official a certain number of American Indians. In return, the holder of the grant had to pay Spain a tribute, or tax. The grant was only for two generations.
The man who received the grant was to teach the American Indians about Christianity. He was to introduce them to the Spanish way of life. In addition, he was to protect them from other warring tribes. In return, the protected people owed the Spaniards who were set over them.
Paying Tribute
The system's original purpose was to cut down on forcing American Indians to work without pay. However, encomienda actually led to another form of enslavement.
At first the American Indians still owned the land on which they lived and worked. They had to pay a tribute, or tax, to the Spanish official. This could be in money, in goods, or in
work.
Because the Spanish could request labor at any time, American Indians often did not have the energy to work on their own land. The tribute was set, even if the weather had been terrible and crops had withered.
Working the Mines
Anyone who could not pay the tribute had to work. At first, this meant working in the mines. The Spanish had opened gold and silver mines in the New World. The work was difficult, with hand-held tools. The Spaniards did not want to work in them, so they needed others to work in their mines. The encomienda system was established to fill that need.
When the mines were depleted, some American Indians worked on farms instead. Others worked on constructing new buildings. Many of the American Indians died from overwork. Others died from diseases the Spanish brought, such as smallpox.
Arguments Against the System
Although many of Spain's rulers were against slavery, the encomienda system with its enforced labor practices was in use for about 200 years. Even Queen Isabella, who had financed Christopher Columbus's explorations, did not support slavery. Yet Columbus and his men were among the first to receive the rights of encomienda.
Protests against the system began as early as 1510. Bartolomé de las Casas, a priest, denounced the encomienda system and gave up his encomienda in 1514. He then traveled to Spain to protest for better treatment of the American Indian population. He protested that the work was too hard and feared it would kill off all the native people. Although laws were passed in Spain to protect American Indians, many Spaniards in the New World still living within the encomienda system ignored the laws.
Ending the Encomienda
The Spanish king Charles I set forth the New Laws of the Indies in 1542. This document tried to stop the abuses of the encomienda system. Spaniards in the New World were so upset that they were prepared to go to war. So the king weakened the laws.
The Spanish finally stopped the encomienda system in 1717. It still remained in effect until the early 1900s in some places, such as Mexico. It made Spain and its conquerors rich at the expense of American Indian peoples. Not surprisingly, in many places it was followed by African slavery.
After reading answer the question, Describe the encomienda system and the impact it had on the local Native American population. (Site 1) answer in 2-3 short sentences
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