San Cristóbal de las Casas

Spaniards, in the mines, at personal labors and under incredible tributes” (Thirty Very Juridical Propositions, l.78-81). Here, De Las Casas presents himself as the sole voice of reason and representation for both the Native Americans and the Spanish themselves; this position he takes allows him to garner sympathy for the Native Americans and respect for his platform. He ingratiates himself into a good, charitable, merciful Christian’s heart and uses subtle references to faith, similar to what Machiavelli does in order to add more persuasion, flattery, and references to the divine in The Prince. The use of religious language—like “hell-fire”—give his writings an authority and gravitas similar to that of Sepulveda. Moreover, De Las Casas’ approach to conquest in the new world, while it does still demonstrate disturbing racism and cultural intolerance, justifies merciful treatment of native populations in a manner that most European people would understand and sympathize with; moreover, the religious influence of Christianity, combined with sympathy for the Native Americans, then garners cooperation between the Natives and the Europeans. This would ultimately beneficial to both parties because it would allow a peaceful power dynamic. Although De Las Casas’ views will become warped by the greed and intolerance of his succeeding missionaries, De Las Casas’…

practices and beliefs were not explained as well as they should have been. Other times, the natives were punished for their past practices of their religious traditions or for the continuation of carrying out these practices after the arrival of the Spaniards. A prime example of another person whom also supported my belief is the late Bishop of Chiapa Bartolome de Las Casas. In his book, originally…

The Tale of the Innocent Natives According to Bartolome De Las Casas, a priest and a retired spanish soldier, the Old world (Europe and Asia) was drastically different to the New world (North and South America). The New world was non polluted peaceful and the natives were friendly and giving. However, havoc and chaos proceeded the peaceful natives of the New world with the arrival of Columbus in 1492. All the native people ever did was treat the Spaniard better than royalty. The natives treated…

The Bartolome de las Casas document, “The Devastation of the Indies”, written in 1565, says many things regarding both the Indians and the Spanish Christians. Bartolome de las Casas describes a number of events that took place between the Indians and the Christians who settled in the Indies, many of which were not respectable events. In “The Devastation of the Indies”, Bartolome writes about his view on the way the Indians were, on the way the Spanish were, and on the way the Spanish treated the…

Bartolomé de las Casas who was also known as the “Apostle of the Indians,” was an early Spanish historian, Spanish Catholic priest, and Dominican missionary, who was the first to expose the oppression of native peoples by Europeans in the Americas. Written in 1528, his document titled “History of the Indies” which took place in Hispaniola outlined the appalling treatment of Indians and the greed and cruelty of the Spanish. Although the original document had been translated from Spanish to…

Bartolome de Las Casas’ A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies provides a first-hand account of the effects of Spanish colonisation on the native population of the Americas. The excerpt summarises Las Casas’ perspective of the colonisation of New Spain and the violent aspects of Spain’s colonial practices. This essay will examine the degree to which A Short Account is a valuable piece of historical evidence in relation to unit themes – specifically, imperialism and colonialism – and…

Bartolomé de las Casas, also known as the “Apostle of the Indians,” was an early Spanish historian, Spanish Catholic priest, and Dominican missionary, who was the first to expose the oppression of native peoples by Europeans in the Americas. Written in 1528, his document titled “History of the Indies” which took place in Hispaniola outlined the appalling treatment of Indians and the greed and cruelty of the Spanish. Since then, the original document has been translated from Spanish to English.…

Document Analysis of Bartolome De Las Casas’ A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies Who wrote this text and what was his role in society? The author of this text is Bartolome De Las Casas, who was born in Sevilla, Spain 1484, to a family who were merchants and farmers . Coming from a wealthy family Bartolome had the opportunity to study Latin from the age of nine, these studies continued for five years while his father was away . When his father returned in 1498, Bartolome expressed…

Bartolomé de las Casas was born in 1484 in Sevilla, Spain and died July 1566 in Madrid. He was a very famous Spanish historian, social reformer, and Dominican friar in the 16th-century. He became the first resident Bishop of Chiapas, and the first officially elected “Protector of the Indians.” His most famous writing is the excerpt A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies and Historia de Las Indias. Las Casas objected to the Spanish treatment of the natives, and in 1542 he wrote an…

Bartolome De las Casas, a Spanish priest describes the horrible actions taken by the Spaniards in the New World. They kill, torture, terrorize, and destroy the most guileless, faithful, and obedient people only for their wealth. In Bartolome’s view, it is absurd these men who call themselves Christians do things such as “take infants from their mothers’ breasts, snatching them by the legs and pitching them headfirst against the crags” (Devastation of Indies). The Christian Spaniards continued to…