Encomienda

and other policies

Handout 4 C
• Encomienda was a system of clustering lands and pueblos and all the
natives that live there under the care of the Encomienderos.

• This is reward given by the Spanish government to soldiers and

missionaries who joined the colonization. Therefore, encomienderos
were either Spanish soldiers or Missionary Friars.

• Under the system, the natives would pay their encomienderos

tributes in the form of food and other goods. In return, the
encomienderos were responsible for the well-being of the natives
under their jurisdiction. Well-being includes, education, health,
governance, spiritual needs, etc.
• Along with the encomienda systems were the
establishments of pueblo (reduccion) and the
implementation of the the following Spanish
policies:

1. Tributes
2. Bandala
3. Polo y Servicio
4. Monopoly
• Reduccion was a method of relocating the natives from their settlements along the
rivers and streams to that of town centers where the center of economy and
government is located in the town plazas.

• Tributes or tributo were a system of taxation that the natives were forced to give to
the Spanish ecomienderos. Theses taxes were in the form of foods and other
goods. The Principales class (the maharlicas and datus class) were the ones tapped
by the encomienderos to collect the tributos.

• Bandala was a mandatory selling of products of the natives to the government at a

quota and prices dictated by the government. Most of the times, the set prices
were too low and did not commensurate to value of the goods sold. Most of the
time also, because of corruption, the government was not able to pay in full the
goods they bought. This resulted to the government heavily indebted to the
natives.
• Polo Y Servicio was the forced labor that the natives provide to the
government for the construction of schools, churches, roads, and
other public works. All males 15 to 65 years old were to render labor
without pay for 45 days per year.

• Monopoly is the system of identifying areas/ provinces allowed by the

Spanish government to plant and grow specific crops i.e. tobacco in
the Ilocos provinces, sugarcane in Central and Southern Luzon, etc.
The Galleon Trade
• The Galleon Trade was an international trade route that connected Manila to Seville, Spain via
Acapulco Mexico.
• This international trade resulted in the spread of Philippine products from Acapulco to places in the
American continent and Europe. It also resulted in the plants, foods , and other products from
Spain and Mexico reached the Philippines.
• The trade route made the Chinese merchants and the Principalia class richer and the Spanish
government prosperous.
• Soon, the Mexican revolt against Spain and won their independence, leaving the Galleon trade
direct from Manila to Spain.
• The Principalia class started sending their children to Spain where they became the Illustrado class.
• The Illustrado went to learn new ideas from Europe, including discussions on human rights,
equality, social justice, humanism, etc. These the Illustrado class brought home and motivated
them to struggle for reform in the Spanish government.
• The Spanish government was not able to sustain the economic benefit of the Galleon trade. The
income they get from the trade went to corruption on the Principalia side and the Spanish
government. Their income also went to sustaining their wars with other nations such as the British
and the Portuguese.