Encomienda system

What is the Encomienda System?

• Definition:

  • A labor system established by the Spanish Crown in the 1500s.

  • It rewarded Spanish explorers, conquistadors, and military personnel with land in the New World.

  • They received not only land but also the labor of the indigenous people residing on it.

Details about the Encomienda System

• Once the indigenous peoples were conquered and the Spanish established control, they needed labor to manage the land effectively.

• Purpose:

  • To work the land for survival and economic gain.

• Structure:

  • The Encomienda system was a labor structure where land was given to Spanish settlers to establish plantations, utilizing indigenous peoples as slave labor.

Social Hierarchy Established

• The mixing of indigenous peoples with conquistadores led to a complex social hierarchy, including:

  • Mestizos:

    • Individuals of mixed indigenous and Spanish/Portuguese ancestry.

  • Mulattos:

    • Individuals of mixed African and Spanish/Portuguese ancestry.

  • Peninsulares:

    • Individuals born in Spain and Portugal.

  • Creoles:

    • Individuals of Spanish/Portuguese descent born in Latin America.

Role of Race/Ethnicity in Labor Treatment

• Race and ethnicity significantly influenced how laborers were treated within this system.