A labor system that began in 1512 in which the Spanish crown authorized Spaniards, known as encomenderos, to enslave native people to farm and mine in the Americas. The system gave way for vast wealth but was difficult to keep the Natives subservient. Native Americans continued to die from disease, leading the Spanish to import slaves.
The Encomienda System was amended by the New Laws in 1542 that attempted to remedy the horrible conditions imposed by encomenderos.