In colonial Spanish America, the system developed by the Spanish to support plantation agriculture was the 2. encomienda system. This system brought native peoples into close contact with one another, normally centered around the plantation and the Catholic mission of the camp. The natives would work on the plantation and the Spanish would actively try to convert them to Spanish. However, the close contact of these camps resulted in the quick and deadly spread of diseases to the native populations resulting in a massive loss of life.
