1514: A colonial census recorded only 22,726 Indians able to work in the encomiendas, a massive decline from the early days of contact.

1514: A colonial census recorded only 22,726 Indians able to work in the encomiendas, a massive decline from the early days of contact. The report also found that 40 percent of Spanish men had officially recognized Indian wives, further reducing the number of Tainos in the labor system.