Research Paper On The Spanish Encomienda

The Encomienda was the legal system established by the Spanish aristocracy in Spanish America in an attempt to define the status of the Native American population in Spain’s New World colonies. This system was greatly rooted in the practices of the Spanish during the Reconquista of Muslim Spain. The Encomienda was originally intended to reduce the uses of forced labor that were instituted after the discovery of the New World, however it became a form of enslavement. The Encomienda (stemming from the Spanish word encomendar, meaning “to entrust”) was a grant from the Spanish crown that was given to a Conquistador, Soldier, Official, etc., that allowed them to demand tribute from a specific number of Native Americans living in a particular area.