A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies (eBook)

Bartolomé de las Casas (1484-1566) was a 16th-century Spanish historian, social reformer, and Dominican friar, renowned for his fervent advocacy on behalf of indigenous peoples of the Americas. His most acclaimed work, 'A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies' (1552), provides a harrowing chronicle of the atrocities committed by Spanish conquistadores in the New World. Las Casas's impassioned defense of Native Americans earned him the title 'Defender of the Indians.' Initially part of the colonial encomienda system, Las Casas underwent a profound transformation after witnessing the brutalities inflicted upon the native populations. Subsequently, he renounced his own encomienda and dedicated his life to their cause. His writings, characterized by a persuasive and polemical literary style, utilized vivid descriptions of suffering to elicit moral outrage and to promote legislative reform. As a theologian educated at the University of Salamanca, he argued from a basis of Christian ethics, employing natural law and scriptural exegesis to bolster his position against the encomienda system and the broader mistreatment of indigenous peoples. Las Casas's tireless petitions led to the promulgation of the New Laws of the Indies in 1542, which aimed to improve the conditions of the native inhabitants, although their enforcement proved limited. His comprehensive history of the Spanish presence in the Americas, 'Historia de las Indias,' remains an essential source for understanding the early colonial period. Through his extensive literary legacy, Las Casas has perpetuated as a seminal figure in Spanish literature, colonial history, and human rights advocacy.