The Encomienda System

Where did the Encomienda system originate?

• In the Reconquista, when Iberia (the peninsula containing Spain and Portugal) was recovered from Muslim invaders.

• In Mexico, near Mexico City

• In Cuba, near Havana

• In Brazil, near Rio da Janeiro

Where did the Encomienda system become larger?

• In Spanish Latin America, starting in the Caribbean.

• In China

• In Africa

• In Australia

When was the Encomienda System at its peak in the colonies?

• In the 1500s.

• In the 1400s.

• In the 1600s.

• In the 1700s.

Who dedicated his life to ending the Encomienda system and helping the indigenous people of the New World?

• Bartolome da Las Casas

• Cristobal Colon

• Christopher Columbus

• Hernan Cortes

• Francisco Pizarro

What Monarchs made statements or laws that tried to reduce the exploitation of indigenous peoples in the Americas? (select all that apply)

• Charles V Habsburg, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Castile and King of Aragon

• King Ferdinand II of Aragon

• Queen Isabella I of Castile

• Queen Latifah of Newark

• King James I of Lebron

What were the actual effects of the Encomienda System in the real world?

• It made a few Spanish lords extremely rich and resulted in Spain becoming the richest country in Europe (maybe in the whole world)

• It caused Spanish culture and religion to spread throughout the New World.

• It helped native peoples to become happy and wealthy and share their cultures freely and equally with Europeans.

• It resulted in Indigenous peoples being basically enslaved and killed due to disease, overwork, and poor nutrition.

• It contributed to the growth of the African slave trade, causing millions of persons to be enslaved, forcibly moved across the sea, and exploited, for centuries.

What did the Spanish claim as the purpose of the Encomienda system?

• To make Spanish kings and lords more wealthy and powerful

• To protect and care for the indigenous people, bringing them the advanced culture of Spain and the One True Faith

• To establish a global colonial empire for Spain

• To become the most wealthy and powerful nation in Europe.

What was the real motivation behind the Encomienda system?

• To gain wealth, land, fame, prestige, and power for Spanish lords and kings and the Spanish Catholic Church

• To help the indigenous people preserve their cultures and languages

• To promote peaceful relations between the native peoples and the European explorers.

• To teach people in Europe more about the newly discovered people, animals, and plants of the "New World."

What caused the Encomienda system to decline? (select all that apply)

• The death of many native workers due to disease, malnourishment, overwork, and abuse.

• The population shift in the New World from an indigenous to a mestizo majority, who could not legally be forced to work in the system.

• The increasing restrictions on abusing the natives from new laws, which made the system unsustainable.

• The growing concern of many Spanish Encomenderos for the poor conditions faced by native workers.

What happened as the Encomienda system declined?

• The trafficking of enslaved persons from West Africa increased.

• The indigenous cultures re-emerged and the New World became a Native American paradise.

• Forced labor was discontinued and people were able to work freely for fair wages in safe and humane conditions.

• Paid indentured servants were brought from Europe to replace the indigenous people who had been wiped out by disease, warfare, overwork, and harsh treatment.