Encomienda

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/encomienda

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the grant holder designation?Encomendero
2. What is the theoretical rationale?Protection and Christianization of indigenous peoples in exchange for labor and tribute
3. What was the Encomienda system?It was a 16th‑century Spanish labor system where leaders gave groups of indigenous people to conquistadors to work for them, with promises of protection and teaching.
4. Why did the Spanish Crown give encomiendas to conquistadors?It rewarded their work, helped control new lands, and let the Crown get wealth while supposedly protecting and teaching the natives.

Iberian Peninsula: The peninsula in southwestern Europe that includes Spain and Portugal.
Demographic Collapse: A significant and rapid decrease in the population of a region or group.
Hereditary Grant: A right or privilege that can be passed down from one generation to the next.