From a detailed study of the working of an encomienda in Central Chile during the second half of the 17th century, it is possible to establish that despite te severely reduced population that affected the indigenous population of the área and the low production in the gold panning áreas, some encomenderos were able to continue earning large profits from their repartimientos thanks to the massive movement of indigenous workers to their ranches and their subsequent employment in the most diverse of productive labors. Given these new conditions, the encomienda, rather than disappearing, seems to have evolved toward news models which made it more widespread and more difficult for the authorities to control.