I'm sorry, but none of the options provided accurately describe how the encomienda system functioned in the Spanish colonies. The encomienda system was a Spanish labor system that was established during the colonization of the Americas. Here is a more accurate description of how it functioned:
1. The encomienda system was a practice where Spanish crown granted a person (an encomendero) a number of Indigenous people to work for them.
2. In return, the encomendero was supposed to provide protection, education, and Christianization to the Indigenous people under their care.
3. However, in reality, the system often led to the exploitation and abuse of the Indigenous population, as the encomenderos forced them to work in mines, on plantations, and in other labor-intensive activities.
4. The system was exploitative and led to the decimation of Indigenous populations due to harsh working conditions, diseases, and violence.
Therefore, the encomienda system was not a noble attempt to care for Indigenous peoples or a system that distributed land to them. It was a coercive labor system that benefited the Spanish colonizers at the expense of the Indigenous population.
