Bartolommeo de las Casas and the Encomienda System The Encomienda System was a labor system that was established by the Spanish in the 16th century in the Americas. It was a system that allowed Spanish colonizers to use Native Americans as laborers in exchange for protection and religious instruction. Bartolommeo de las Casas was a Spanish priest who was one of the first to speak out against the Encomienda System. In...