Laws of the Indies
The Laws of Burgos (1512), signed by King Ferdinand II of Aragon, focused upon the welfare of the conquered native peoples.
Held in the Colegio de San Gregorio, in the Spanish city of Valladolid, it was a moral and theological debate about the colonization of the Americas, its justification for the conversion to Catholicism and more specifically about the relations between the European settlers and the natives of the New World.
It consisted of a number of opposing views about the way natives were to be integrated into colonial life, their conversion to Christianity and their rights and obligations.
According to the French historian Jean Dumont, the Valladolid debate was a major turning point in world history, saying "In that moment in Spain appeared the dawn of the human rights".
These laws were heavily influenced by Vitruvius' Ten Books of Architecture and Leon Battista Alberti's treatises on the subject.
This continued as a precedent in all towns under Spanish control until the relinquishing of the land to others, as in the case of the American colonies and their growth.
A plan is made centered on a Plaza Mayor (main square) of size within specified limits, from which twelve straight streets are built in a rectilinear grid.
Moreover, the indigenous people had the power to write to the King of Spain in their native languages (predominantly Nahuatl as the lingua franca, but also Mixtec, Zapotec, etc.)
Moreover, the indigenous people were recognized as holding the title to their lands, being protected against attempts of usurpation by some Spaniards, which led to several disputes.
Additionally, the viceregal authorities were always required to conduct an investigation before granting any property to determine if the requested lands would harm the local residents.
Thus, reductions in the fiscal burden were made for the "Republic of Indians" (Spanish: República de Indios), arguing that there would be serious consequences from increasing taxes without simultaneously raising the wages of the indigenous people.
