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Difficulty: EasySpanish Encomienda and Labor Systems

In a 1516 petition to the Spanish Crown, priest Bartolomé de las Casas wrote:

'The remedy for this land is that your Majesty should free the Indians from the power of the Spanish colonists, who hold them in the encomienda. Under this system, the settlers care only for their own enrichment and work the Indians in the mines and fields without mercy...'

Based on this excerpt, which of the following was the primary purpose of the Spanish encomienda system?

  1. A
    To grant outright ownership of land to Spanish colonists as a reward for military conquest.
  2. To extract coerced labor and tribute from Native Americans to support Spanish agricultural and mining operations.Answer
  3. C
    To establish a system of voluntary trade and mutual exchange of crops between Europeans and Native Americans.
  4. D
    To implement a system of temporary indentured servitude where Native workers earned land after a set number of years.

Answer

To extract coerced labor and tribute from Native Americans to support Spanish agricultural and mining operations.
The correct option is correct because the encomienda system was designed to extract labor and tribute from Native Americans. Spanish conquistadores and settlers were granted the labor of specific Native communities to support the colonial economy, primarily in agriculture and mining, under the guise of Christianizing and protecting them.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the source context
The petition by Bartolomé de las Casas highlights the exploitation of Native American labor in mines and fields under the encomienda.
This establishes that the system revolved around forced labor rather than voluntary agreements.
2
Define the encomienda system
The encomienda was a Spanish colonial policy that granted colonists the right to demand tribute and forced labor from local Native communities.
This helps distinguish the encomienda from simple land ownership or voluntary servitude.
3
Select the option matching this purpose
The option describing the extraction of coerced labor and tribute matches the historical function of the system.
It directly aligns with the economic goals of the Spanish Empire in Period 1.

Key Concept

Spanish Encomienda System
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Spanish Encomienda and Labor Systems

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