﻿Vol.2] 
  COMMUNITIES 
  OF 
  CENTRAL 
  PERU 
  — 
  CASTRO 
  POZO 
  493 
  

  

  The 
  institution 
  of 
  encomiendas 
  was 
  of 
  such 
  consuming 
  interest, 
  and 
  

   its 
  consequences 
  were 
  so 
  important 
  in 
  the 
  economic, 
  political, 
  and 
  

   social 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  Colonial 
  Period, 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  amply 
  implemented 
  in 
  a 
  

   multitude 
  of 
  legal 
  ways, 
  commenting 
  upon 
  and 
  prohibiting 
  the 
  abuses 
  

   and 
  arbitrary 
  measures 
  imposed, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  sale, 
  gift, 
  transference, 
  

   pignoration, 
  division, 
  and 
  other 
  illegalities 
  committed 
  against 
  the 
  

   Indians 
  of 
  the 
  encomiendas, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  gives 
  us 
  a 
  detailed 
  exposition 
  

   of 
  the 
  mass 
  of 
  spoliations 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  encomienda 
  gave 
  rise. 
  

  

  The 
  encomienda 
  became 
  vacant 
  at 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  encomendero; 
  

   if 
  he 
  lacked 
  legal 
  heirs 
  it 
  became 
  the 
  property 
  of 
  the 
  Royal 
  Crown. 
  

   As 
  the 
  latter 
  continued, 
  however, 
  to 
  cede 
  the 
  encomiendas 
  or 
  to 
  cre- 
  

   ate 
  pensions 
  or 
  incomes 
  which 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  tribute 
  paid 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  and 
  granted 
  to 
  the 
  near 
  

   relatives 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  owner 
  or 
  to 
  needy 
  descendants 
  of 
  discoverers 
  and 
  

   other 
  persons, 
  the 
  institution 
  disappeared 
  only 
  when 
  independence 
  

   was 
  proclaimed, 
  although 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  tribute 
  continued 
  in 
  force 
  

   long 
  after 
  that. 
  

  

  The 
  reductions 
  and 
  encomiendas 
  were 
  the 
  methodical 
  and 
  system- 
  

   atic 
  attack 
  by 
  the 
  conquerors 
  on 
  the 
  territorial 
  property 
  of 
  the 
  ayllus 
  

   which 
  escaped 
  the 
  first 
  spoliation 
  of 
  the 
  division 
  or 
  reparto. 
  The 
  

   lands 
  which 
  had 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  Indians 
  who 
  were 
  entrusted 
  to 
  

   (encomendados) 
  or 
  divided 
  among 
  (repartidos) 
  the 
  Spaniards, 
  grad- 
  

   ually 
  came 
  to 
  form 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  latter, 
  despite 
  all 
  the 
  laws 
  which 
  pro- 
  

   hibited 
  it, 
  for 
  the 
  Indians 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  how 
  to 
  read 
  them, 
  or 
  even 
  if 
  

   they 
  had 
  understood 
  them 
  and 
  were 
  brave 
  enough 
  to 
  ask 
  that 
  they 
  be 
  

   obeyed, 
  they 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  sent 
  away 
  in 
  good 
  custody, 
  if 
  the 
  matter 
  

   were 
  not 
  settled 
  by 
  more 
  rapid 
  and 
  violent 
  means. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  protect 
  and 
  consolidate 
  the 
  property 
  acquired 
  by 
  means 
  

   of 
  the 
  spoliation, 
  exactions, 
  and 
  violence 
  which 
  the 
  Conquest 
  engen- 
  

   dered, 
  the 
  spirit 
  of 
  the 
  conqueror 
  inspired 
  the 
  " 
  legal" 
  formula 
  of 
  

   composition 
  (composici6n), 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  which 
  one 
  could 
  not 
  only 
  

   " 
  compose" 
  any 
  original 
  vice 
  involved 
  in 
  the 
  acquisition 
  of 
  property, 
  

   but 
  which 
  the 
  Crown 
  also 
  utilized 
  to 
  sell 
  their 
  own 
  lands 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  

   ayllus. 
  

  

  The 
  lands 
  were 
  not 
  only 
  divided 
  and 
  their 
  grant 
  or 
  violent 
  seizure 
  

   confirmed 
  by 
  persons 
  with 
  authority 
  to 
  do 
  so, 
  but 
  they 
  were 
  also 
  

   granted, 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  many 
  ranches, 
  farms, 
  peonias, 
  and 
  caballerias, 
  

   by 
  persons, 
  such 
  as 
  certain 
  cabildos 
  or 
  local 
  dictators, 
  who 
  did 
  not 
  

   have 
  the 
  right. 
  In 
  some 
  cases 
  the 
  expropriations 
  were 
  even 
  effected 
  

   surreptitiously 
  in 
  forbidden 
  ways, 
  without 
  respecting 
  the 
  properties 
  

   of 
  the 
  ayllus 
  and 
  curacas 
  who, 
  on 
  the 
  Coast, 
  lost 
  nearly 
  all 
  their 
  lands. 
  

   To 
  exculpate 
  these 
  deeds 
  and 
  strengthen 
  the 
  titles 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  prop- 
  

   erties 
  were 
  held, 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  laws, 
  called 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  "composition," 
  

   were 
  promulgated. 
  They 
  legalized 
  the 
  spoliations 
  and 
  permitted 
  the 
  

  

  