From the time of the reconquest of Granada (1481-1492) to the introduction of the encomienda system in the Americas was only ten years. Some of the encomenderos managed to secure title-deeds to certain lands: unlike the encomiendas, these could be passed down from one generation to the next. Note that conditions for indigenous workers remained particularly brutal in Peru, even under repartimiento. It placed hundreds and sometimes thousands of Indians under the control of individual Spaniards at a time when a bureaucracy had not yet been established. Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/encomienda. In 1550, the crown abolished the encomienda system, which had allowed the Spanish to seize Native Americans' lands and force their labor. The encomienda system (in theory) was a feudal-like system where Spaniards would offer protection and education to the native populations in exchange for labor and money/gifts. However, the owners of these parcels depended on the repartimiento or mita (rotating draft of forced Indian labor) system that had been instituted after the crown prohibited the use of free personal services by the encomendero around the middle of the sixteenth century. Robert G. Keith, "Encomienda, Hacienda, and Corregimiento in Spanish America: A Structural Analysis," in Hispanic American Historical Review 51, no. Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. The Spanish crown reluctantly approved the granting of encomiendas because it needed to reward the conquistadors and establish a system of governance in the newly-conquered territories, and the encomiendas were a quick-fix that killed both birds with one stone. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Encomienda involved forced labor, brutality, loss of freedom and rights. In Peru and New Spain, local conditions were more favorable, and they lasted considerably longer. "Slave Law and Claims Making in Cuba: The Tannenbaum Debate Revisited. Encomenderos in Mexico protested this assault on their status and wellbeing. [9] The encomienda established a system similar to a feudal relationship, in which military protection was traded for certain tributes or by specific work. When did the encomienda system start and end? The encomenderos relied upon local chiefs to provide tribute. Wages were paid, with most of the wages owed to the Crown. John Murra, Rolena Adorno & Jorge L. Urioste. Eventually, the encomienda system was replaced by the repartimiento system, but it was not abolished until the late 18th century. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Jeff Wallenfeldt. Outside of New Spain and Peru, encomienda was short-lived in most Spanish colonies, as the depopulation of the Americas due to war and disease, pressure for reform from the Crown, and changes in colonial economies made the system less serviceable. They saw the New Laws as the actions of an ungrateful king who, after all, had been sent 20% of Atahualpa's ransom. In the Pacific, Spain competed with English, Dutch, Malay, Chinese and Muslim interests. ThoughtCo, Sep. 9, 2021, thoughtco.com/spains-american-colonies-encomienda-system-2136545. Encomienda Chattel Slavery Russian Serfdom Define the labor system Include the general role/purpose Were there revolts or rebellions . Las Casas participated in an important debate, where he pushed for the enactment of the New Laws and an end to the encomienda system. (February 23, 2023). Minster, Christopher. Lowcountry Digital History Initiative", "Slavery and Atlantic slave trade facts and figures", "A century between resistance and adaptation: commentary on source 021", "Slavery took hold in Florida under the Spanish in the 'forgotten century' of 1492-1619", "Perspective - Everyone is talking about 1619. Encomienda, the right to control the labor of and collect tribute from an Indian community, granted to subjects, especially the first conquerors and their descendants, as a reward for service to the Spanish crown. In the sixteenth century, encomiendas ranged in size from as many as 23,000 heads of households (Corts's personal encomienda) to a few hundred in some areas of Central America and Peru. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). The encomenderos put the Indians to work mining gold and silver; building houses, town halls, and churches; cultivating indigenous and imported crops; herding animals; and transporting goods. Best Answer. The Spanish crown still steadfastly refused to grant encomiendas in perpetuity, however, so slowly these lands reverted to the crown. The northernmost extent of the encomienda system was in what is known now as the US state of New Mexico, and the southernmost extent was the Chiloe Islands of Chile. Spanish Casta System Overview & Purpose | What was the Casta System? ." Bartolome de las Casas: Destruction of the Amerindians, Las Casas, Valladolid Debate & Converting the New World, The Pueblo Revolt of 1680: Lesson for Kids. The Crown awarded an encomienda as a grant to a particular individual. The adelantado often assigned it on behalf of the Crown. Although there were never enough such grants to reward all those who felt they deserved one, the encomienda proved a useful institution, from the crown's point of view, in the first two or three decades after the discovery and conquest of the New World kingdoms of Mexico and Peru. When Blasco Nez Vela, the first viceroy of Peru, tried to enforce the New Laws, which provided for the gradual abolition of the encomienda, many of the encomenderos were unwilling to comply with them and revolted against him. The king usually intervened directly or indirectly in the bond, by guaranteeing the fairness of the agreement and intervening militarily in case of abuse. As councilmen they set prices for basic goods and services as well as the standards of morality and sanitation for the Spanish community. In the New Laws of 1542, he abolished slavery and ended the encomienda system. In Peru, colonists went into open revolt. Some even became silent partners with merchants involved in lucrative import and export activities. Minster, Christopher. Encomenderos, addressed as encomenderos feudatarios, had no peers at first. Encomienda that requires extensive use of forced labor simply did not have enough people to function. [7][pageneeded], The heart of encomienda and encomendero lies in the Spanish verb encomendar, "to entrust". Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism since 1450. . The connection between the encomienda and the hacienda, or large landed estate, has been the subject of debate. When the news of this situation and of the abuse of the institution reached Spain, the New Laws were passed to regulate and gradually abolish the system in America, as well as to reiterate the prohibition of enslaving Native Americans. The other major form of coerced labor in their colonies, the encomienda system, was also abolished, . The Second Emancipation Proclamation is the term applied to an envisioned executive order that Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders of the Civil Rights Movement enjoined President John F. Kennedy to issue. Encomienda y vida dia-ria entre los indios de Muzo, 15501620. ThoughtCo. Foner, Laura, and Eugene D. Genovese, eds. system of forced labor called the encomienda. The system did, however, result in loss of life and freedom, which was similar to the loss under chattel slavery and cruelty on a historic scale. As legally defined in 1503, an encomienda (from Spanish encomendar, to entrust) consisted of a grant by the crown to a conquistador, a soldier, an official, or others of a specified number of Indios (Native Americans and, later, Filipinos) living in a particular area. . An alternative to encomienda was repartimiento (partition). Once the encomiendas reverted to the crown, they were overseen by corregidores, royal agents who administered crown holdings. [8] As the number of natives declined and mining activities were replaced by agricultural activities in the seventeenth century, the hacienda, or large landed estates in which labourers were directly employed by the hacienda owners (hacendados), arose because land ownership became more profitable than acquisition of forced labour. The encomienda system was put in place in several areas, most importantly in Peru. 3 (August 1971): 431-446. So many died that climate scientists think a period of global cooling may have resulted. Vinson, Ben, III, and Matthew Restall, eds. He participated in slave raids and kept slaves. In 1550, Spain abolished the encomienda system and replaced it with a new repartimiento system. I feel like its a lifeline. He would have been familiar with Reconquista tribute practices. Encomienda (roughly translated: trustee) was a formal system of forced labor in Spanish colonies in Latin America and the Philippines, intended to encourage conquest and colonization. Tenochtitlan, Aztec Capital | Facts & Location, Taino Civilization: Economy and Political & Social Structure, Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act | History, Political Effects & Importance. Their grants also gave them a near monopoly over native labor. Adoption of an encomienda system of labor and tribute in Spanish colonies was expected under any circumstances. The encomienda system did not grant people land, but it indirectly aided in the settlers' acquisition of land. Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism since 1450, Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History, Francisco de Toledo (1515-1584), the fifth Spanish viceroy of Peru, established his reputation in that office as one of the most talented and energet, Antonio de Mendoza (1490-1552) was a Spanish viceroy in Mexico and Peru who inaugurated the system of viceregal administration, which lasted nearly 3, Tribute The system was also instituted in Spain's only major colony in the Asia-Pacific region, the Philippines. "From Slaves to Citizens? a noble attempt to care for the native people. Dominican priests played an important role in the movement to abolish it. In 1503, the crown began to formally grant encomiendas to conquistadors and officials as rewards for service to the crown. Encomienda. Mistreated by their supposed protectors and exposed to European diseases (such as smallpox, and measles) to which they had no immunity, the Indians died in large numbers. To counter their power, the crown began to issue protective legislation, such as the Laws of Burgos (1512) and the New Laws (1542). [9] This system was a method of rewarding soldiers and moneymen who defeated the Moors. To the crown he said, "I obey crown authority but do not comply with this order. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/spains-american-colonies-encomienda-system-2136545. It was developed in feudal Spain, when the Moors (North African Muslims) occupied parts of the Iberian Peninsula (present-day Spain and Portugal). He described slavery as "cultural genocide par excellence" noting "it is the most effective and thorough method of destroying culture, of desocializing human beings". 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The colonial elite was livid with rage when the provisions of the New Laws became known.