Which of the following best describes the lives of the native peoples under the encomienda system?


A.
They became rich, but could not be government officials because they were not born in Spain.


B.
They were very poor, forced to work the land or in the mines, and died from beatings, hunger, and disease.


C.
They stuck to their own religions and rejected the Catholicism of the Spanish.


D.
They increased in numbers under Spanish rule.