Final answer:
The encomienda system was a Spanish colonial labor system where individuals were granted control over Native peoples to use their labor, which often led to exploitation and conditions similar to slavery. Bartolomé de Las Casas, a former encomendero, became an advocate for the humane treatment of Native peoples, influencing reforms. The system was later succeeded by the repartimiento system.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Encomienda System in Spanish America
The encomienda system was a labor system established by the Spanish Crown during the colonization of the Americas. It was an extension of the Reconquista practice, where the Crown gave land to individuals who had served it militarily. Encomenderos, the grantees of encomiendas, were charged with the responsibility to protect the Native peoples awarded to them and convert them to Christianity. In reality, however, this system exploited the Natives, as encomenderos often exercised control over Native laborers, requiring them to work on plantations, in mines, or any other labor-intensive jobs. The system was characterized by severe conditions akin to slavery. Eventually, this system gave way to the repartimiento system, which also coerced Native people into labor but required Native towns to provide a labor pool for Spanish settlers.
Noteworthy figures such as Bartolomé de Las Casas fought against the brutality of the encomienda system. De Las Casas, initially an encomendero himself, reversed his stance after witnessinging the harsh treatment of Native peoples. His efforts contributed to the creation of the New Laws, aiming to abolish the system and promote humane treatment.