Why did Spanish colonists in the Americas resist the New Laws of 1542?
Spanish colonists in the Americas resisted the New Laws of 1542 primarily because the legislation threatened the existence of the encomienda system, which was central to their economic power and social status.123
The encomienda system allowed Spanish settlers to exact tribute and forced labor from the Indigenous population. The New Laws sought to correct severe abuses by limiting these grants and requiring that they be released after a single generation, effectively jeopardizing the conquerors' control over their labor force and wealth.132
This threat to their interests led to widespread and often violent opposition across the colonies. In Peru, for example, the resistance was particularly intense; when Viceroy Blasco NĂșñez Vela arrived in 1544 to enforce the laws, the colonists, led by Gonzalo Pizarro, revolted and executed him. Due to this armed resistance, the Spanish crown was forced to reissue the New Laws in a weaker version in 1552.34