| Date | November 2020 | Marks available | 9 | Reference code | 20N.1.BP.TZ0.8 |
| Level | Both SL and HL | Paper | Paper 1 - first exams 2017 | Time zone | TZ0 |
| Command term | Discuss | Question number | 8 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Source E Edward Gaylord Bourne, an historian specializing in Latin American history, writing in the academic book Spain in America, 1450–1580 (1904).
The encomienda system deteriorated into a serfdom approaching slavery and was capable of great abuses; but the crown tried to prevent these evils so far as possible. In the code for the Indies prepared in 1542, commonly called the “New Laws”, the future enslavement of the Indians was absolutely prohibited; encomenderos [holders of encomiendas] who had abused their Indians were to lose their possessions; no new encomiendas were to be granted, and existing ones were to end on the death of the holder.
In securing this legislation, Bartolomé de las Casas had been largely influential, but the practical difficulties of its execution proved overwhelming. The problem was not an easy one. A kingdom had been gained by the heroism and sacrifices of private adventurers: how were they to be rewarded and their families supported? That they should have great estates with a numerous body of serfs and live like nobles in Europe seemed a practical solution to the difficulty. On the other hand, the Spanish crown strongly disapproved of the wasting [misuse] of the population that had taken place. The Indian legislation of the Spanish kings is an impressive monument of good intentions.
[Source: Bourne, E.G., 1904. Spain in America, 1450–1580. New York: Harper and Brothers, p. 255.]
Source F Benjamin Keen, an historian specializing in colonial Latin America, writing an introduction to Life and Labor in Ancient Mexico: The Brief and Summary Relation of the Lords of New Spain (1963).
The conquistadores had visions of limitless wealth to be obtained through silver mines, sugar and cacao plantations. The intensity of exploitation of Indian labor became intolerable.
The Crown faced a problem of balancing the demand of the colonists for cheap Indian labor with its own interest in preserving a large tribute-paying Indian population. There was a political issue as well: excessive concentration of land and Indians in the hands of the encomenderos might lead to the rise of a class of great feudal lords independent of royal authority, a development the Spanish monarchs were determined to prevent.
The evolution of Spain’s Indian policy reflected a complex clash of interests and opinions. Bartolomé de las Casas demanded suppression of the encomiendas. The encomenderos threatened the Crown with loss of its American empire through Indian revolt and requested that their encomiendas be made hereditary. A majority of Crown officials and most of the clergy took a “realist” compromising position. They argued that the encomienda, regulated by laws to safeguard Indian welfare, was necessary for the prosperity and security of the land: “There could be no stability in the land without rich men and there could be no rich men without encomiendas. All industry was carried on with Indian labor, and only those with Indians could engage in commerce.”
[Source: Keen, Benjamin. Life and Labor in Ancient Mexico: The Brief and Summary Relation of the Lords of New Spain.
New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1963. Reprinted with permission.]
Source G Bartolomé de las Casas, a Spanish historian and Dominican missionary during the conquest, writing in the chronicle An Account, Much Abbreviated, of the Destruction of the Indies (written to Prince Philip of Spain in 1542, published in 1552).
The Spaniards took the Indians’ lands they [the Indians] had inherited and which nourished them. And the Spaniards had all the Indians—lords, old persons, women, and children—within their own houses, and they would have the Indians serve them night and day, without rest, and even the children were occupied in doing all they could, or even more. And so they have exhausted them, and still this day exhaust the few who still remain, without allowing them to have their own house or any possession.
They have oppressed the Indians and been the cause of the rapid death of many people in this province, by making them carry wood for a great distance to the harbour to make boats with, and sending them to find honey and wax into the forests, where they are eaten by wild animals. And they have treated pregnant women like beasts of burden.
[Source: Adapted from Knight, F.W., ed., 2003. An Account, Much Abbreviated, of the Destruction of the Indies, with
Related Texts. Indianapolis. Hackett.]
Source H Johann Theodor de Bry, an engraver, depicts a scene from 16th century Mexico (1598).
[Source: de Bry, J.T., 1598. [Bartolomé de las Casas Regionum]. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Bartolom%C3%A9_de_las_Casas_Regionum_355385740_MG_8857_042-12.tif.]
Using the sources and your own knowledge, discuss the social and economic impact of the Spanish conquest on the indigenous populations between 1519 and 1551.
Markscheme
Apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and award credit wherever it is possible to do so. The following material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. It is neither prescriptive nor exhaustive and no set answer is required. While it is expected that there will be coverage of at least two of the sources, candidates are not required to refer to all four sources in their responses.
Indicative content
Source E The source argues that the encomienda system turned the indigenous populations almost into slaves. Although it highlights the benefits of the New Laws (1542), it acknowledges that their implementation was challenging.
Source F The source refers to the exploitation of the indigenous peoples, their loss of land and the fact that they were made to pay tribute to Spain. It argues that the encomienda became a necessary institution to safeguard the welfare of the indigenous populations.
Source G The source discusses the negative impact of the conquest for the indigenous populations by, for example, referring to the loss of housing and possessions. Also, this source refers to the dangerous working conditions and the resulting deaths.
Source H The source focuses on the negative impact of the conquest by depicting oppression, death and brutality.
Own knowledge
Economic impact: Candidates may offer information on the Mita system (forced labour). They may refer to the exploitation of mines and its impact on the indigenous populations: displacements, poor living and working conditions, the rise of cities (for example, Zacatecas). They may discuss the impact of the deviation of water resources from indigenous fields or the introduction of cattle from Spain which occupied the land used for crop rotation. They may also refer to the Columbian exchange.
Social impact: Candidates may offer details on the spread of diseases; the demographic crisis; the separation of families. They may also discuss the forced religious conversions; the growth of the mestizos population; the resistance to assimilation; the introduction of African slaves.
Examiners report
Most candidates were able to offer a response to the final question which had some development. Responses usually demonstrated an awareness of the need to focus on the set question and to refer to and use the sources to develop and support their analysis. Indeed, the majority of responses had some use or reference to the sources. Many candidates were able to use the sources to offer a balanced assessment of the factors which influenced Mussolini's descision to invade Abyssinia in October 1935 for Question 12, or to evaluate the success of the Bantustan system in achieving the aims of the South African government for Question 16. In addition, some candidates effectively applied their knowledge in conjunction with a focused use of the sources.
However, some responses were limited by an excessively descriptive approach and some lacked clear and consistent focus on the set question. There were also responses that tended to list the content in each source rather than using it to develop an analysis of the question. In addition, responses often lacked synthesis of relevant knowledge.
