ENCOMIENDA VS

CASTA SYSTEMS

What was the What was the Casta system?

Encomienda system?

The Casta system was a system that focused on

The Encomienda system was a system that the Spanish put
in place when they got to Tenochtitlán. The main objective
of the Encomienda system was to exploit the indigenous
people. These indigenous people were called
Encomenderos and they were expected to also Chritianize
the other people. Through the Encomienda, system, the
Spanish were granted the right to force indigenous people
into labor, and the lands now belonged to the Spanish
categorizing people depending on their ethnicity.
The Casta system created a social hierarchy, and
depending on your race, you had a certain status,
obviously, bringing the Spanish to the top of the
pyramid. Someone with Spanish + Indigenous
Ancestry was called a Mestizo, and someone with
Spanish + African ancestry was called a Mulatto
(there are way more, but these are the 2 main
ones)

Similarities

Both of these systems benefited the Spanish in a way; The Encomienda system allowed the Spanish to force the
indigenous people to do certain things and the Casta system allowed the Spanish to be a the top of the hierarchy
pyramid in a way.

Both of these systems also developed into problems; The Encomienda system led to depopulation and cultural
disruption. The Casta system was the start of racial discrimination and it contributed to social inequalities

Differences

They each had different aims. While the Encomienda system wanted to obtain something from the indigenous
people such as labor or land, the Casta system focused on establishing a social hierarchy and achieving power.
The Casta system persevered for many many years and it then became influenced the Latin American identity,
while the Encomienda system gradually faded over time since better labor systems came into the picture.
Both of these systems had very different impacts on the indigenous people. The Encomienda system mistreated the
Indigenous people while the Casta system discriminated people by their ancestry.

Which is better?

I don’t think that there is a system that is better or worse, but if we take a look at the short term
impacts, it looks like the Casta system is less violent or cruel towards the Indigenous people,
however, when the long term impact comes into view, the Casta system was in placed for way more
than the Encomienda system, and it was a starting point for racism and discrimination towards
people with certain skin color or ancestry. The Encomienda system on the other hand, led to
depopulation, which caused the loss of knowledge about the Indigenous culture in a way, because
not many people could pass it on.

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