The laws of Spain provided for justice and
humanity in the dealings with the Indians, but the settlers, thousands of
miles away, paid no attention to these laws, and the red men were almost
everywhere reduced to slavery, or where free and given political rights,
were looked upon as far inferior to the whites. In every district Spain
placed an official called the "Protector of the Indians," but it does not
appear that they were much the better off for their "Protectors." It is
our purpose here to say something about the cruel treatment of the natives
in South America.
[Illustration: INDIANS OF THE PLATEAU.]
INDIANS OF THE PLATEAU.
The Spanish settlers had three terms which applied to their dealings with
the Indians, the _encomiendo_, the _mitad_, and the _repartimiento_, each
indicating a form of injustice. The conquerors divided the country between
them, and the _encomiendos_ were rights granted them to hold the Indians
for a number of years as workers in their fields or their mines. Under
these grants, the natives were converted into beasts of burden, and forced
to do the hardest work without the least compensation.
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