Question

million), has now a population of barely two hundred persons.\ -source: bartolomé de las casas, brief account of the devastation of the indies, 1542. which of the following practices did the ideas expressed in the excerpt most directly challenge? choose 1 answer: a converting indigenous people to christianity through missionary work b enslaving indigenous people as laborers in the encomienda system c mixed - race relationships between spaniards and indigenous people d taking indigenous land for colonization by creating unfair treaties

Explanation:

Bartolomé de Las Casas' work documented the harm done to indigenous populations, including population decline. The encomienda system involved enslaving or exploiting indigenous people as laborers. His account challenged this exploitation by highlighting the devastation (like population reduction) caused by such practices. Option A (missionary work) was more about religious conversion, not directly challenged by his focus on population harm. Option C (mixed - race relationships) and D (land - taking via treaties) were not the main focus of his challenge to the encomienda - style exploitation of indigenous labor.

Answer:

B. enslaving indigenous people as laborers in the encomienda system