Question

What was the difference between the encomienda in Spanish colonies and slavery

Answer 1

Enconmienda differed from slavery in that the Spanish designed the system partly as an economic one, but also as a means of civilizing/Christianizing the indigenous peoples of Latin America and the American Southwest. Slavery, on the other hand, was purely an economic system and instead of encompassing indigenous peoples, it involved the forced relocation of inhabitants of Africa to North and South America.