Colonial American Economies Notes

Encomienda (Spanish America)

1. Gave Spanish colonists the right to demand tribute and labor from indigenous people in exchange for “protection” and Christian teaching. In practice, it was often brutal forced labor.
2. The system was justified by the Requerimiento, a legal document that demanded Indigenous submission to Spanish rule. The Laws of Burgos (1512) and New Laws (1542) attempted to regulate or abolish it, but colonial resistance made enforcement weak.

Yanaconaje (Andes)

1. A system where indigenous workers were permanently tied to service for Spanish landowners; less mobile than encomienda but similar in exploitation.
2. Originated from Inca servitude practices, but the Spanish expanded it into a hereditary form of labor. Yanaconas lost community ties and land rights, becoming dependent laborers serving Spanish elites and religious institutions.

Mita (Andes)

1. Adapted from Inca traditions; required indigenous men to work in mines (especially silver at Potosí) for part of the year under harsh and deadly conditions.
2. Indigenous men were compelled to work several months per year in silver mines like Potosí (Bolivia) or Huancavelica (Peru).
3. Mortality rates were extremely high due to mercury poisoning and brutal working conditions.
4. The mita contributed massively to Spain’s silver exports but caused demographic collapse and social disruptionacross the Andes.

Plantations

1. Plantations in the Caribbean and Brazil grew cash crops like sugar, tobacco, and later coffee, using enslaved labor.
2. Plantations operated under brutal gang labor systems, with enslaved people working long hours under constant supervision.
3. Plantation economies created rigid racial hierarchies and fueled triangular trade linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Organization of Trade