he Spanish sought to exploit this with a dose of their own idealism. The Spanish crown was knowledgeable of the mita (labor tax), under the Inca Empire, and enforced this policy in their colonies to require the Indians to comprise the New World “working class”. As far as economics is concerned, a move such as this would be beneficial to the Spanish government for it places laborers (Indians) in the mines, and enhances the army’s strength. When looking at this from a Spanish perspective it almost seems fair because it is a humane alternative to the genocide (forced human sacrifice) that the Indians could have been subjected to under their own “gods”. However, the Spanish solution doesn’t allow the Indians’ any true continuance of culture. The Indians are truly the slaves of the Spanish Royal Crown at this point and their situation is not destined to improve under such an imperialist power that is in decline itself. At the onset of the colonial expansion into the New World, encomiendas and repartimientos were common for the Spanish to possess. Indians were mistreated and many of them perished along the way as the Spanish “spread Christianity”. There were several Spaniards that felt as I do, that the Indians’ rights were being superceded by potential economic progress, and they attempted to appeal on behalf of the Indians. Those such as Las Casas, and Montesinos were opposed to forced slavery of the Indians as well as the Encomiendas. Each made their appeal for Indian rights, yet even when their pleas made it as far as Charles V even royal decrees could not prevent what was to happen in the New World. Economic progression was potentially beneficial for the Indians of the “New World” as well but it meant assimilating into a Spanish culture that was indeed forced upon them. Even if genuinely interested in the welfare of the Indians (as people, not laborers) t...
