﻿814 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  ness. 
  Originally, 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  encomiendas 
  was 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  regulated 
  

   but 
  very 
  soon 
  some 
  grew 
  to 
  tremendous 
  proportions 
  while 
  others 
  

   remained 
  small 
  farms. 
  There 
  were 
  also 
  elaborate 
  rules 
  governing 
  the 
  

   treatment 
  of 
  Indians: 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  the 
  Indies 
  are 
  full 
  of 
  strict 
  regula- 
  

   tions 
  protecting 
  the 
  natives 
  and 
  ensuring 
  their 
  welfare. 
  The 
  size 
  of 
  

   their 
  tribute 
  was 
  limited, 
  and 
  the 
  encomendero 
  was 
  to 
  pay 
  the 
  annual 
  

   estipendio 
  to 
  the 
  priest 
  from 
  his 
  revenue. 
  Most 
  historians 
  agree 
  that 
  

   these 
  rules 
  were 
  rarely 
  obeyed 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  obligations 
  incurred 
  by 
  

   the 
  Indians 
  without 
  their 
  consent 
  weighed 
  heavily 
  on 
  them. 
  

  

  Thus, 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  16th 
  century, 
  a 
  Highland 
  community 
  

   in 
  the 
  Chimbo 
  Valley 
  numbering 
  1,254 
  able-bodied 
  male 
  Indians 
  paid 
  

   the 
  following 
  annual 
  tribute 
  to 
  their 
  encomendero: 
  2,508 
  gold 
  pesos, 
  

   1,254 
  cotton 
  blankets, 
  627 
  fanegas 
  (1,003.2 
  bushels) 
  of 
  maize, 
  627 
  

   fanegas 
  of 
  barley, 
  600 
  lbs. 
  of 
  salt, 
  30 
  pigs, 
  2,508 
  chickens. 
  In 
  addition 
  

   they 
  paid 
  the 
  priest 
  an 
  annual 
  camarico 
  consisting 
  of 
  80 
  bushels 
  of 
  

   maize, 
  40 
  bushels 
  of 
  wheat, 
  50 
  sheep, 
  12 
  pigs, 
  600 
  lbs. 
  of 
  salt, 
  20 
  eggs 
  

   each 
  fast 
  day, 
  and 
  1 
  chicken 
  each 
  ferial 
  day. 
  

  

  About 
  the 
  same 
  time, 
  the 
  lowland 
  community 
  of 
  Colonche 
  consisting 
  

   of 
  145 
  able-bodied 
  male 
  Indians 
  paid 
  the 
  following 
  annual 
  tribute: 
  

   84% 
  pieces 
  of 
  cloth, 
  135.2 
  bushels 
  of 
  maize, 
  850 
  lbs. 
  of 
  salted 
  fish, 
  

   253 
  chickens, 
  and 
  27 
  loads 
  of 
  cotton. 
  

  

  These 
  obligations 
  were 
  considered 
  heavy 
  by 
  the 
  natives. 
  Ponce 
  de 
  

   Le6n 
  wrote 
  that 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  Otavalo 
  had 
  lived 
  longer 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  

   because 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  have 
  to 
  pay 
  such 
  heavy 
  tributes 
  and 
  that 
  at 
  Paute 
  

   in 
  the 
  Canari 
  area, 
  men 
  frequently 
  left 
  the 
  settlement 
  to 
  work 
  at 
  

   Cuenca 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  earn 
  the 
  cash 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  tribute, 
  thereby 
  seriously 
  

   disrupting 
  the 
  functioning 
  of 
  the 
  native 
  community. 
  

  

  But 
  not 
  all 
  Indians 
  lived 
  on 
  encomiendas. 
  Many 
  areas 
  were 
  consid- 
  

   ered 
  poor, 
  unproductive, 
  and 
  undesirable. 
  These 
  usually 
  remained 
  

   Crown 
  lands, 
  and 
  the 
  Indians 
  on 
  them 
  paid 
  their 
  tributes 
  directly 
  

   to 
  the 
  authorities 
  in 
  Quito. 
  Some 
  Indians 
  had 
  disappeared 
  into 
  the 
  

   lowland 
  jungles 
  beyond 
  the 
  jurisdiction 
  of 
  both 
  secular 
  and 
  temporal 
  

   authorities, 
  but 
  many 
  continued 
  to 
  live 
  in 
  settlements 
  widely 
  scattered 
  

   out 
  over 
  the 
  mountains. 
  Pedro 
  de 
  la 
  Pefia, 
  the 
  second 
  Bishop 
  of 
  

   Quito, 
  secured 
  the 
  King's 
  permission 
  in 
  1572 
  to 
  resettle 
  the 
  "free" 
  

   Indian 
  population 
  in 
  reducciones. 
  The 
  natives 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  collected 
  

   from 
  their 
  hills 
  and 
  resettled 
  in 
  conveniently 
  accessible 
  valleys, 
  in 
  

   Spanish-style 
  villages. 
  Spaniards 
  were 
  prohibited 
  by 
  law 
  from 
  enter- 
  

   ing 
  these 
  villages 
  or 
  interfering 
  with 
  the 
  square 
  league 
  of 
  arable 
  soil 
  

   surrounding 
  it. 
  The 
  Indians 
  were 
  exempt 
  from 
  tribute 
  the 
  first 
  year 
  

   of 
  settlement. 
  They 
  offered 
  much 
  resistance 
  to 
  this 
  plan 
  which 
  

   facilitated 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  taxes, 
  strengthened 
  Church 
  control 
  of 
  

   the 
  population, 
  removed 
  the 
  native 
  groups 
  from 
  their 
  sacred 
  shrines 
  

   and 
  burying 
  grounds, 
  and 
  frequently 
  brought 
  together 
  peoples 
  of 
  

   diverse 
  ethnic 
  affiliations. 
  Nevertheless, 
  Indian 
  towns 
  under 
  Spanish 
  

  

  