New Laws of the Indies

November 20, 1542

Charles V promulgated the New Laws, outlawing the enslavement of indigenous Americans and promising to wind down the encomienda system after its holders' deaths. Conquistadors in Peru rose in open revolt, and the laws would be partly rescinded. The moral argument, however, could not be suppressed. Their partial rescission demonstrated the tension between metropolitan ideals and colonial exploitation defining Spanish imperial governance.