6.3 Encomienda system and land distribution

The encomienda system and land distribution were key pillars of Spanish colonial rule in New Spain. These systems granted Spanish colonists rights to indigenous labor and vast tracts of land, shaping the social and economic landscape of colonial Mexico.

While intended to promote settlement and development, these practices led to widespread exploitation of indigenous populations. The emergence of large estates like haciendas and latifundios concentrated wealth and power among Spanish elites, laying the foundation for long-lasting inequality.

Spanish Colonial Land Grants and Estates

Royal Land Grants and Legal Processes

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• Mercedes reales granted large tracts of land to Spanish colonists by the Crown
• Composición legalized informal land claims through payment to the Spanish Crown
• Process of composición allowed colonists to regularize their land holdings
• Land grants aimed to encourage settlement and agricultural development in New Spain

Large-Scale Colonial Estates

• Hacienda emerged as a self-sufficient agricultural estate in Spanish America
• Haciendas produced crops and livestock for local and export markets
• Latifundio referred to extensive landholdings often spanning thousands of acres
• Latifundios concentrated land ownership among a small elite class of Spanish colonists
• System of large estates contributed to social and economic inequality in colonial society

Indigenous Labor and Tribute Systems

Encomienda Labor System

• Encomienda granted Spanish colonists the right to indigenous labor and tribute
• System originated from medieval Iberian practices adapted to the Americas
• Encomenderos received labor and goods from indigenous communities
• Encomienda theoretically required encomenderos to protect and Christianize indigenous people
• System led to widespread abuse and exploitation of indigenous populations

Evolution of Labor Practices

• Repartimiento replaced encomienda as a more regulated labor system
• Repartimiento required indigenous communities to provide a rotating labor force
• System aimed to distribute indigenous labor more equitably among Spanish colonists
• Labor quotas and wage requirements were established under repartimiento
• Despite regulations, abuses and coercion persisted in the repartimiento system

Indigenous Land Rights

Preservation and Erosion of Communal Lands

• Indigenous communal lands (altepetlalli) recognized by Spanish colonial authorities
• Communal lands provided subsistence agriculture for indigenous communities
• Spanish legal system initially protected some indigenous land rights
• Gradual encroachment on communal lands by Spanish estates and settlers
• Legal processes like composición often resulted in loss of indigenous territories
• Reduction of communal lands contributed to indigenous poverty and dependence on haciendas
• Some indigenous communities maintained communal lands through legal battles and negotiations
• Preservation of communal lands varied across regions and time periods in New Spain