Essay On A Traveler’s Guide To The Caribbean

The Laws of Burgos were created on December 27, 1512 in Burgos, which lies within Spain. These laws were the first to be administered in the Americas in regards to the treatment of their native populations. They were created in response to the intensely violent revolts against how the Spanish treated the Taino and other Indian tribes in the Caribbean. After missionaries arrived and reviewed the situation, they were aghast at the situation in the region and the animosity between the Spanish and Indians. They promoted laws of this nature be introduced to fend off what they felt would certainly be destructive and was ungodly as well as inhumane treatment of the Indians, the Taino in particular as they were the most populous tribe in the region. Also, the settlers in the region became quite nervous they would be ousted or killed, which either way would result in them losing the property they had acquired. Therefore, the laws appeared to be a win/win situation. Unfortunately, however, the laws were never truly adhered to and violence still persisted. Ultimately, the Taino were nearly extinguished as they fell victim to diseases the Spaniards brought with them which they had no resistance for. By the middle of the decade less than a 1,000 of them remained.
The Laws of Burgos created the encomienda, or the first version of a reservation. These were work compounds were the Indians were placed under the supervision of their Spanish masters after they were removed from their lands. The deal was they were supposed to be the
labor force and in return the Spanish would care for them with medications, food and the like. The conditions for the Taino, however, remained as brutal as before the laws were placed into effect and the encomienda was the primary reason for their undoing. As they were exposed to more extensive contact with the Spanish, their population became riddled with disease and without the Spanish aid that was promised they perished in droves.

Works Cited

Ferguson, James. A Traveller’s History of the Caribbean. Interlink Books: New York. 1999.
Print.