Why were Spanish laws intended to protect Indigenous people difficult to enforce in distant colonies?

Spanish laws intended to protect Indigenous people were difficult to enforce in distant colonies primarily due to the vast geographical distance from the home government and the resistance of local colonial interests. While the Spanish crown often enacted benevolent legislation, such as the New Laws of the Indies (1542) championed by Bartolomé de Las Casas, these mandates frequently faced noncompliance or open defiance.12

In practice, the encomienda system—which entrusted Indigenous groups to Spanish proprietors—was deeply entrenched. Efforts to abolish or reform this institution triggered significant backlash, including armed rebellion in Peru and widespread disregard for royal decrees in New Spain. Furthermore, many colonists and some theologians held the view that Indigenous peoples were inferior, which undermined the implementation of humanitarian policies. Consequently, while these laws established important moral principles, they were often "breached more than observed" in the face of colonial economic interests and the practical limitations of imperial oversight.132