The Encomienda System

The administration of the Spanish Empire was very important during this time. The Spanish policy towards the Indians of the New World was confusing, misguiding, and cruel exploitation. Queen Isabella of Spain issued the encomienda system that was permitted the conquering Spaniards to collect tribute from the Indians and use them as slaves/laborers. The holders of the encomienda system were to protect the Indians, pay them wages, and supervise their spiritual needs because the Indians paid the holders/nobles/owners tribute. Settlers were free to apply the paternalistic system of the government as they wished. Other Spaniards, who disobeyed or ignored the encomienda system, cruelly used the natives to pursue their own interests and use them to the point to see the natives suffer. These poor natives were put to work on plantations or in the gold and silver mines. In the lives of these natives, they suffer from forced labor, starvation, and disease that was fearful. Because of the diseases that were in Europe, the natives were struck not only by smallpox, measles, and typhus from the explorers and conquistadors. Besides making natives suffer, other people like Dominican friars raised their voices to protect these innocent Indians. Because of the publications that were published by Bartholome de Las Casas, the government finally realized how badly the natives were treated and decided to abolish the encomienda system.  Besides the brutal encomienda system, the Spanish developed the viceroy and the audiencias. The viceroy is basically a government system and the audiencias is an advisory group that also functions as supreme judicial bodies.