Question

What was the purpose of the 'Encomienda System' in the Spanish colonies of the New World?

• A. To provide an incentive for Spanish settlers to immigrate to the New World.
• B. To allow for the creation of independent states allied with the Spanish Crown.
• C. To provide labor for the creation of Spanish plantations, ranches, and mining.
• D. To facilitate the conversion of the native population to Roman Catholicism.

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

To provide labor for the creation of Spanish plantations, ranches, and mining.

Encomienda was a Spanish labor system. It was applied on a much larger scale during the Spanish colonization of the Americas and the Philippines. Under this system, labors were traded for specific work in plantations, ranches, and mining.