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Encomienda And The Columbian Exchange

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n Encomienda was a land and resource grant given from the Spanish government to conquistadores during the Spanish Reconquista. The Conquistador served as an absent ruler for colonies created from the grant, so a Spanish encomendero worked as the active ruler and middle man for the conquistador. Also, the Encomienda was supposed to help end forced labor in the American colonies, however, it led to a form of slavery. Indians and African slaves worked farmland to pay tribute to the encomendero so that they could gain protection for their village. Christianity also had a large impact on the Encomienda, with villages being required to convert to Christianity. As time went on, the encomienda system was reduced because of the criticism it had with …show more content…

There, many items and ideas were traded, good and bad, such as diseases, plants, livestock, and technology. European countries flourished from the exchange at the new world and even experienced a population boom. Many good were successful and became popular in Europe such as tobacco, corn, and potatoes. These foods changed many diets and cuisines across Europe and Asia. For example, capsicum peppers from the Americas transformed South and Southeastern Asian cuisine. Although many benefits came to European countries through the Columbian Exchange, American countries however, favored differently (Crossroads …show more content…

Europeans brought with them diseases that were foreign to indigenous populations and animals that had negative effects on the surrounding landscapes. Diseases such as smallpox, the plague, and typhus were common in past European society, causing the populations to eventually build up an immunity and resistance against these diseases. However, these diseases were unknown to indigenous populations, causing there to be no resistance, ultimately resulting in disastrous consequences. 90% of the indigenous population, equaling around 80 to 100 million people, were killed because of these diseases. European animals and livestock were also brought over to the new world, animals like horses and pigs helped indigenous societies by means of transportation and food source. Though, animals such as sheep and rats caused catastrophic damage to landscapes because of the lack of predators available (Crossroads 562). Overall, the Columbian exchange mainly benefitted European and Asian countries with the arrival of many new goods, while indigenous populations suffered terribly with the introduction of harmful livestock and

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