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Spain's empire in the 16th century was the grandest in Europe and it spanned from the Americas, to Europe, to Africa.

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The Spanish divided their diverse society of Spaniards, Natives, and Africans into various race groups with different social standings.

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Natives were first employed on colonial Spanish farms called Haciendas.

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Through this system, Natives were required to labor for the Spanish, often in mines, with little to no pay... After the Natives started dying en masse, the system was abolished and replaced with the slightly less harsh Repartimiento system.

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The Spanish quickly turned to Africa as a source of slaves once they realized the natives were too feeble for slave labor.

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The Black Legend was induced by writers like De Las Casas who described Spanish atrocities against Natives and it was perpetuated by European nations who wanted the Spanish to appear as inhumane savages.