Legal Definitions - encomienda

Definition: Encomienda (en-koh-mee-en-dah) is a Spanish term used to describe a royal grant given to a private person in the Spanish colonies. The grant includes a certain portion of territory and a specific number of native inhabitants, based on the feudal principle of commendation. It can also refer to a royal grant of privileges to the military orders of Spain or a mandate for a person to do a specific commission. In general, it refers to something given by mandate, especially a parcel.

• During the Spanish colonial period, encomienda was used to grant land and native labor to Spanish settlers in the Americas.
• The Spanish military orders were granted encomienda, which gave them certain privileges and rights.
• The king issued an encomienda to the governor, mandating him to oversee the construction of a new fort.
• The encomienda included a parcel of land and a specific number of native workers to cultivate it.

These examples illustrate how encomienda was used in different contexts, such as land grants, labor arrangements, and mandates. The term reflects the colonial power dynamics between the Spanish crown, the settlers, and the native populations. It also highlights the feudal nature of the Spanish colonial system, where land and labor were controlled by a few privileged individuals.