What was encomendia?

Answer 1

The encomienda was a Spanish colonial system established in the Americas during the 16th century, where Spanish settlers were granted the right to extract labor and tribute from Indigenous people in a specific area. In exchange, the encomenderos (landholders) were supposed to provide protection and religious instruction to the Indigenous populations. While it was intended as a means of organizing labor and converting Indigenous people to Christianity, the system often led to severe exploitation and significant population decline among Indigenous communities due to harsh working conditions and diseases. Ultimately, the encomienda system contributed to the broader patterns of colonial exploitation in the Americas.