The encomienda system allowed Spanish conquistadores to be rewarded with local villages and control over the local labor force. In exchange, they had to teach the locals about the Catholic faith and to learn the Spanish language.
This was one of the many systems that were used for political will of the Spanish rule.
- Usually, it was soldiers or conquistadors who were the grantees of the encomienda system, although at times it also extended to women and some notable natives. It also occurred that Puppet Inca rules were seeking and granted encomiendas.
- The purpose of rewarding humans with other humans was established in order to provide more definition to the Indian people, and because both parties were benefiting from the trade, the natives were treated as free men not as slaves or serfs.
- The encomienda system helped the Spanish royal family gain control over most of the Americas after the colonization.
- It was originally established to cater to the agricultural needs in the Caribbean although it was later on modified to sustain the mining communities in Peru.
- By 1510, the encomienda system began going through a downfall because there was a protesting by the Dominican missionaries stating that the Spanish colonists were abusing the natives. In 1538, an emperor by the name of Charles V realized that the Taino revolt was serious and then proposed political changes that affected the Indian labor.
- Following the downfall of the encomienda system, the repartimiento and hacienda systems took place under the management of the royal family. Under these systems, hacienda owners directly employed the laborers.
- The repartimiento was similar to the encomienda system in the sense that they did not attribute the land to anyone but instead allotted native workers.
This was one of the many systems that were used for political will of the Spanish rule.
