Las Casas mentions that the indigenous peoples, all of them of the New World were considered legally free. They seem anything but free to me, and according to all of the violations and abuses perpetrated on them. How much did the laws of Spain govern the life of the Spanish in the New World? I feel like being in a new place allowed them the freedom and anonymity to do what they wanted, and not worry about the consequences. The sheer time and distance between them and the courts of Spain gave them great leniency to create havoc and destruction in order to suck wealth from their colonies. Greed seems to have justified they actions; That and their service to the crown of Spain.
Through his commentary on the destruction wrought on the native peoples, he shows the indigenous as socio-politically organized, self-sufficient, wealthy, spiritual and knowledgeable. He does depict them as weak children however, but he also implies their great capacity for so many things. I can’t tell whether he has a love for the indigenous people, or whether he is just trying to set the record in a matter-of-fact way.
His writing disturbed me in all its gory detail. I was forming graphic images in my head while reading. How strange that so often the indigenous people of various people are called “savages” and barbarians, and yet here Las Casas depicts a scene where the supposed civilized peoples are the ones committing the savage acts of barbarians. What a contradiction!!
Also, how is it possible that so many nations ravaged in this way ended up with the idea of the mestizo? What is it about these Spaniards that drove them to such violence, and yet to mix with the very same people they had abused and violated? He mentions an instance when a Spaniard claimed that there was no problem in violating a promise Las Casas had made to the indigenous in that they would not be burned alive. This Spaniard argued that he was justified in burning them alive because sooner or later he would have to do that anyway as punishment for a crime they would certainly commit. Yes Las Casas argues that these indigenous people rarely had the capacity to commit actions that would be considered crimes either by the standards of the bible or the laws of Spain. He seems to be talking about rights according to the law, and the ways in which they were unevenly applied. How advanced of him.
I wish that Las Casas had documented more of the indigenous resistance. Sure he mentions that they were readily unprepared for what happened to them, but at the same time it sounds as thought they could have done more. If he is mentioning so many leaders of various groups that were loyal to the crown of Spain, wouldn’t they also have adopted some of the firepower and military might from Spain as well?
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