Spaniards most often obtained encomiendas by conquering territory in the name of the Spanish Crown and many econmiendas were granted to Spanish...

Which country initiated the era of Atlantic expiration?

Portugal initiated the era of Atlantic exploration in the 15th century, though we also have to give the Vikings some credit for their journeys in the...

What did encomiendas allow Spanish settlers to do?

Spain granted encomiendas—legal rights to native labor—to conquistadors who could prove their service to the crown. ... The Spanish believed native peoples would work for them by right of conquest, and, in return, the Spanish would bring them Catholicism.