Joseph C. Miller Memorial Lecture by Romina Zamora

On this occasion, our aim is to discuss three main points. The first is the conceptual
distinction between indigenous slavery and servitude, since while the former was
prohibited or limited by the Catholic King from the early days of the conquest, the
latter was consolidated and persisted until the twentieth century.
Our second point is precisely the conformation of indigenous servitude in Spanish
households and farms. We will discuss the institution of the encomienda (a Spanish
labor system that awarded to the conquerors the labor of non-Christian indigenous
peoples) proposed by the Crown of Castile, and the problems it entailed. Finally, we will try to relate this lecture to others given in this same lectures series in memory of Joseph C. Miller, in order to see the similarities and differences with the process of constructing dependency in Asia and Africa, as well as to relate it to the other lectures on Latin America.