The natives of the island were systematically subjugated via the
encomienda system implemented by Columbus.
[151] Adapted to the New World from Spain, it resembled the feudal system in Medieval Europe, as it was based on a lord offering "protection" to a class of people who owed labor.
[152] In addition, Spanish colonists under his rule began to buy and sell natives as slaves, including children.
[153]
When Columbus fell ill in 1495, "what little restraint he had maintained over his men disappeared as he went through a lengthy period of recuperation. The troops went wild, stealing, killing, raping, and torturing natives, trying to force them to divulge the whereabouts of the imagined treasure-houses of gold."
[160] According to Las Casas, 50,000 natives perished during this period, although Las Casas' account has been criticized by modern historians as lacking objectivity and his population estimates are often dismissed.
[161] Upon his recovery, Columbus organized his troops' efforts, forming a squadron of several hundred heavily armed men and more than twenty attack dogs. Dogs were used to hunt down natives who attempted to flee.
[154] Columbus's men tore across the land, killing thousands of sick and unarmed natives. Soldiers would use their captives for sword practice, attempting to decapitate them or cut them in half with a single blow.
[162]