Origins of the System

Forced labor common in Western

Europe
Means of:
providing a Spaniard a portion of
land
Restricted property rights over a
certain # of Indians
Became entrenched in South and
Central America
Religion

Spaniards used religion to justify

system
Gods will to indoctrinate natives
Law of Burgos: any encomendero
with more than fifty Natives had
to educate one boy in writing
and religious doctrine
Belief in Incompetence

Savage, incompetent people

Unable to live a Christian life and
conduct money/trade
Believed they needed to be
clothed, educated, & taught about
God
Otherwise, would ruin New Spains
economy
Responsibility of
Encomenderos
Ferdinand and Isabella: issued an order
Forbade mistreatment of the natives
Granted right to persuade (religion)
Granted natives for 2-3 years at a time
Encomenderos:
Pay natives for their work
Supply with living provisions
Source of Immediate
Revenue
Conquistadors ignored commands
Wanted to own land without doing
work
Demanded tribute for provisions
Worked long hours for little pay
Led to sharp decline in native
population
Social Classes

Viceroys:
head of a colony
Appointed by king
Peninsulares:
born in Spain
Only group that could become viceroys
Social Classes Continued

Creoles: native-born descendants of

Spaniards
Mestizos: mixed Spanish and Native
American heritage
Native Americans: treated as minors
under the law
Social Classes