Indigenous People Exploited

The Spanish employed three labour schemes targeting the indigenous population at different time periods. The Demora, the Repartimiento and Encomienda system all led to the detriment of Indigenous and was mainly for the benefit of the Spanish. The Repartimiento physically disrupted the indigenous population as under its system the Indians were moved to different areas within the colony requiring their labour within a short period of time. For instance at one time they may have engaged in gold mining and at another time they may have moved them to partake in cultivating the fields. This was a form of instability as the indigenous people did not move of their own free will and so never had the opportunity to settle their minds and this could have affected them mentally.
Family life was also disrupted as most of the strenuous labour tasks such as in the fields and mines were assigned to the indigenous men. Therefore, the separation of men for months at a time from their wives and children tore apart families causing emotional distress among the men, women and children. This separation of families also bore other problems. This also brought about a lack of procreation among the Indigenous as they were not able to have relations with each other due to separation or due to being too exhausted to have relations when reunited.
With the men of the communities being taken away the women were solely responsible for their families and the work to be done within the villages or communities. They therefore had to take on the role of the men by looking after the plots of land and farms in addition to performing their normal role as women providing nourishment for their families and cleaning their abodes. Hence, not only were the women overworked and exhausted but because they were not familiar with the new roles assigned to them they were not able to fulfil them as the men would. This resulted in little food being available as the women did not have the strength and vigour to...