The Spanish crown institutes the encomienda system…
1503 CE
Under this system, all land becomes in theory the property of the crown, and the natives are considered tenants on royal land.
The crown's right to service from the tenants can be transferred in trust to individual Spanish settlers (encomenderos) by formal grant and the regular payment of tribute.
The encomenderos are entitled to certain days of labor from the natives, and they assume the responsibility of providing for the physical well-being of the natives and for their instruction in Christianity.
Although an encomienda theoretically does not involve ownership of land, in practice it does—ownership is just gained through other means.
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