"We have established that the main obstacle to the conversion and preservation of the Indians is their separation from Spanish settlement. Under the encomienda, the Spaniards to whom they are entrusted must teach them the Christian faith and civilize them. However, the encomenderos have turned this duty into a tyranny, demanding labor and tribute that leaves the Indians no time to receive instruction or support their own families, resulting in their ruin."
— Spanish Royal Council of the Indies, report on the administration of the Americas, mid-sixteenth century
Based on the excerpt, which of the following best describes the primary conflict between Spanish colonial settlers and Spanish royal or religious authorities regarding the encomienda system?
- ASettlers viewed the encomienda primarily as a direct grant of land ownership for establishing private plantations, whereas royal officials designed the system solely to regulate labor and tribute without transferring land titles.
- BSettlers argued that coerced labor was necessary to cultivate native European crops like wheat, while royal officials insisted on using native laborers exclusively to ranch imported American livestock such as cattle and horses.
- Settlers prioritized extracting immediate wealth through coerced labor, while royal and religious authorities sought to convert Indigenous populations and maintain centralized control over them as vassals.Answer
- DSettlers justified the system by claiming that all Indigenous groups possessed an identical, homogeneous culture suited only for manual labor, while royal officials argued that some groups should be exempt due to their unique regional environments.