# The Encomienda System: How Conquest Became Labor

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-conquistadors-exploration-greed-and-destruction-fexingo-history-7864470/the-encomienda-system-how-conquest-became-labor
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-conquistadors-exploration-greed-and-destruction-fexingo-history-7864470/the-encomienda-system-how-conquest-became-labor.md
Podcast: [The Conquistadors: Exploration, Greed, and Destruction — Fexingo History](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-conquistadors-exploration-greed-and-destruction-fexingo-history-7864470)
Published: 2026-07-28T03:10:03+00:00
Episode link: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-conquistadors/episode-0180.mp3
Audio file: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-conquistadors/episode-0180.mp3
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Duration seconds: 513

## Resource

After the fall of Tenochtitlan, Spanish conquistadors were granted encomiendas—rights to the labor and tribute of entire indigenous communities. In episode 180 of The Conquistadors, Lucas and Luna explore how the encomienda system actually worked, from the brutal encomiendas of Nuño de Guzmán in the west to the privileged, tribute-only status of Tlaxcala. They trace the legal debates that led to the Laws of Burgos (1512) and the New Laws (1542), the role of missionaries like fray Toribio de Benavente Motolinía, and the persistent resistance of native communities. A nuanced look at how a colonial labor system reshaped Mesoamerica—and its echoes in later haciendas and debt peonage. Specific figures include Cortés, de las Casas, and Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza. Terms: encomienda, repartimiento, macehualtin, cacique, tributo, altepetl, Tlaxcala, New Laws. #Encomienda #NewSpain #ColonialMexico #HernanCortes #BartoloméDeLasCasas #NuñoDeGuzman #LawsOfBurgos #NewLaws1542 #Tlaxcala #Macehualtin #Cacique #Motolinia #AntonioDeMendoza #Mesoamerica #Conquistadors #SpanishColonization #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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