Basic Competency on Local Treasury Examination (BCLTE) Practice Exam

In the Spanish "encomienda" system, tenant farmers paid taxes primarily for the privilege of working the land. This system was established during the Spanish colonization, wherein local authorities granted encomenderos (Spanish settlers) the right to extract labor and tribute from indigenous inhabitants in a specific area. In return, these encomenderos were expected to protect the indigenous people and ensure their conversion to Christianity.

The farmers, therefore, were obliged to pay taxes as a form of acknowledgment or fee for the right to cultivate land that was under the encomendero's control. This arrangement underscored the dependency of tenant farmers on the encomendero for their livelihood, as they did not own the land themselves but were essentially allowed to utilize it in exchange for a portion of their produce or monetary taxes.

The misconception about other privileges arises from the context in which they were utilized during colonization. The right to vote was generally not afforded to tenant farmers in this system, as political power was concentrated among the colonial elites. Similarly, privileges regarding trade and land ownership were typically restricted, favoring the Spanish settlers over the indigenous populace and tenant farmers. Thus, the correct answer highlights the critical relationship between land access and the responsibilities that tenant farmers bore in the encomienda