ABSTRACT
Although Honduras was discovered by Columbus on his fourth voyage in 1502, several decades passed before the country was brought under effective Spanish administration. Conquest and colonization were protracted because the province lacked the riches to attract high caliber conquistadors and the nature of the Indian societies themselves made conquest difficult. Indian slaves were in great demand in the Caribbean islands and Panama where the Indian population had been decimated, whilst gold and silver commanded high prices in Europe. An encomienda was a grant of Indians to an individual, who in return for providing the Indians with protection and instruction in the Catholic faith could levy tribute and labor services from them. The Indian slave trade probably provided colonists with the largest and easiest profits. Although land grants did bestow some social status on recipients, the development of commercial agriculture required an investment of time and money before any profit could be realized.
