Introduction
Virtudes del Indio, literally translated as Virtues of the Indian, is a letter written by bishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza to King Philip IV. Palafox asks the king for legal protection of indigenous people in New Spain, and justifies this request by arguing for their virtuous nature. He recounts the abuse and poverty suffered by indigenous communities. It is believed that this letter was written around 1649, following Palafox’s return to Spain. Virtudes provides insight into how the Spanish attributed value to indigenous people, and anecdotal information regarding indigenous living and working conditions.
Circumstances of production
Bishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza served as Visitador General of New Spain from 1639 to 1649, …show more content…
He utilizes the seven deadly sins as a framework for analysis. He concludes that despite incurring in sensuality, gluttony and sloth, indigenous people are remarkably patient and never incur in envy, greed, pride or wrath. Again, at no point does Palafox argue that indigenous people deserve protection from poverty and abuse because they are humans. He argues for their value because of their catholic virtues. Palafox writes, “they do not search for arms to take vengeance… nor do they agonize, nor do they become angry… but rather they complete, with patience and resignation, all of their labor.” It therefore leaves the question of whether Palafox would deem indigenous people worthy of rights if he did not perceive them to be virtuous. In chapter IX, Palafox writes that indigenous people are “worthy of utmost love and compassion,” and that he has “desired to imitate them.” It is interesting to juxtapose nouns such as love and compassion with the following passage from chapter …show more content…
When discussing the hardship experienced by indigenous people, Palafox refers to them as a homogeneous group. He makes multiple references to their poverty. In chapter IX he writes, “they fall upon enormous duties, such that when their communal living is so poor and miserable internally, the excess burden that they suffer is very clear from an exterior perspective.” Palafox is likely referring to the Repartimiento when talking about the excess burden on communal living.
Later in chapter IX, Palafox writes, “they do not make requests for their labor, nor would they ever dare to do so; if it is given to them, they take it; if it is not given to them, they remain silent.” In this passage, it is unclear whether the demand for labour Palafox is referring to is one that is made through informal channels, or that of the Repartimiento. However, this passage suggests that labour demands were seldom
Virtudes del Indio, literally translated as Virtues of the Indian, is a letter written by bishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza to King Philip IV. Palafox asks the king for legal protection of indigenous people in New Spain, and justifies this request by arguing for their virtuous nature. He recounts the abuse and poverty suffered by indigenous communities. It is believed that this letter was written around 1649, following Palafox’s return to Spain. Virtudes provides insight into how the Spanish attributed value to indigenous people, and anecdotal information regarding indigenous living and working conditions.
Circumstances of production
Bishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza served as Visitador General of New Spain from 1639 to 1649, …show more content…
He utilizes the seven deadly sins as a framework for analysis. He concludes that despite incurring in sensuality, gluttony and sloth, indigenous people are remarkably patient and never incur in envy, greed, pride or wrath. Again, at no point does Palafox argue that indigenous people deserve protection from poverty and abuse because they are humans. He argues for their value because of their catholic virtues. Palafox writes, “they do not search for arms to take vengeance… nor do they agonize, nor do they become angry… but rather they complete, with patience and resignation, all of their labor.” It therefore leaves the question of whether Palafox would deem indigenous people worthy of rights if he did not perceive them to be virtuous. In chapter IX, Palafox writes that indigenous people are “worthy of utmost love and compassion,” and that he has “desired to imitate them.” It is interesting to juxtapose nouns such as love and compassion with the following passage from chapter …show more content…
When discussing the hardship experienced by indigenous people, Palafox refers to them as a homogeneous group. He makes multiple references to their poverty. In chapter IX he writes, “they fall upon enormous duties, such that when their communal living is so poor and miserable internally, the excess burden that they suffer is very clear from an exterior perspective.” Palafox is likely referring to the Repartimiento when talking about the excess burden on communal living.
Later in chapter IX, Palafox writes, “they do not make requests for their labor, nor would they ever dare to do so; if it is given to them, they take it; if it is not given to them, they remain silent.” In this passage, it is unclear whether the demand for labour Palafox is referring to is one that is made through informal channels, or that of the Repartimiento. However, this passage suggests that labour demands were seldom