During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the New Laws of 1542 were created to prevent the exploitation of the indigenous people by the encomenderos. They were enforced by Blasco Núñez Vela, the first viceroy of Peru, who quickly became unpopular among the encomenderos and fled to Quito to escape a large revolt.

The New Laws consisted of many regulations on the encomienda system including: the abolishment of indigenous slavery, the prohibiting of needlessly sending indigenous people to work in the mines unless it was absolutely necessary, the indigenous people be taxed fairly, any public officials or clergy who has an encomienda grant should give their grant back to the Crown and encomienda grants should be given back to the Crown after the death of the encomendero.

In 1569, a new viceroy, Francisco de Toledo, arrived with plans for a more thorough reform of Spanish Peru.

Spain was thus over a hundred years in advance of all other European countries in outlawing slavery, and this was more-or-less consistently followed through by Spanish secular and religious authorities. Spaniards and their descendants already involved in such activities in the New World were often in conflict with the New Laws and their implementation.

Reference

• Kenneth J. Andrien, Andean Worlds, 2001