Bishop Martín de Calatayud began a royal inspection of pearl fisheries on 16 June 1544. His visit examined the treatment and living conditions of Indigenous workers. He ordered better daily food and announced measures against some abuses; noncompliance with provisions on food could result in the freedom of enslaved Indigenous people. The inspection shows Indigenous workers pressing into a colonial administrative record, while also reflecting a Crown interested in regulating and preserving the labor system. Several of Calatayud’s provisions were later annulled after objections by pearl-fishery owners.
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What did Calatayud’s 1544 inspection address?
The inspection ordered better food and provisions addressing abuses in pearl-fishery labor.
Calatayud’s 1544 inspection ordered better daily food for Indigenous pearl-fishery workers.
The inspection addressed diet and treatment; some provisions were later annulled.