SHORT REPORT ON THE DESTRUCTION OF INDIUM

BREVISSIMA RELACION DE LA DESTRUCCION DE LAS INDIAS

1974 marked the 500th anniversary of the birth of Bartolome de Las Casas (1474-1566), the great Spanish humanist, the first in history to expose colonialism and racism.

The main works of Las Casas - his multi-volume "History of the Indies" and "Apologetic History" - lay in the monastic archives for three centuries before they saw the light. So Catholic Spain was afraid of the voice of her rebellious son! The History of the Indies was published only in 1875. A little earlier, in 1822, the progressive Spanish historian Juan Antonio Llorente (1756-1823), who apparently had access to these archives, published some of the works of Las Casas in Paris ( “Oeuvres de don Barthelomi de Las Casas…etc. Precedes de sa vie et accompagnees de notes historiques…etc.”, par I. A. Liorente, vol. I-II, Paris, 1822.) .

In the vast and varied literary heritage of Las Casas, the treatise "The Shortest Report on the Destruction of the Indies" ("Brevissima relacion de la destruccion de las Indias", colegida por el Obispo D. Fray Bartolome de Las Casas o Casaus, de la orden de Sancto Domingo ano 1552. .) occupies a special place. And not only because it still causes controversy and fierce attacks on its author and is both a historical and topical political work. It is important that the treatise, essentially a report presented in 1542 to Prince Felipe (the future King Philip II), was published in Spain) in 1552 during the life of Las Casas, at the very height of his activity.

The History of the Indies became known to the Soviet reader in 1968. (Bartolome da Las Casas. History of the Indies. L., 1968. The second and third books are published here, as readers could familiarize themselves with fragments of the first in the book: “The Travels of Christopher Columbus. Diaries. Letters. Documents.” M., 1961 , pp. 304-388, 397-422.), "The Shortest Report on the Destruction of the Indies" has not yet been fully published in the USSR. This treatise is a vivid indictment against tyranny and violence. The main goal of Las Casas was to prove how for 40 years the colonization of America by the Spaniards led to the destruction and devastation of these vast and richest lands and that the only reason for the destruction and murder was the irrepressible greed and cruelty of the conquistadors. For the first time, words were heard loudly about just and unjust wars about human rights to freedom, regardless of the color of his skin and religion. Therefore, it seems interesting to quote excerpts from the Shortest Report on the Destruction of the Indies. Some of them, although they were published (“Reader on the history of the Middle Ages”, vol. III. M., 1950, pp. 44-45; E. Melentyeva. The past, calling for battle. - “Science and Life”, 1966, No. 1, p. 52- 56.), are given in a new edition, others are published for the first time (Bartolome de Las Casas. Brevissima relacion de la destruccion de las Indias.-"Coleccion de documentos ineditos para la Historia de Espana". Madrid, 1879, t. LXXI (71), p. 3-83.).

... It is known that Christians, by their tyranny and injustice, killed more than 12 million souls of Indians - men, women and children. I probably know, although they tried to deceive me, that there were more than 15 million people! Christians killed in two ways: by unjust, bloody, brutal and tyrannical warfare, and by slavery, to which neither people nor animals had ever been converted before. These two ways of infernal tyranny destroyed these lands and destroyed people, who had no number. The cause and sole purpose of the killing and destruction was to enrich the Christians with gold. For the sake of this, they were ready for any arbitrariness on these lands, for the lands were rich, and the inhabitants were modest and patient. They were easy to conquer and the Christians did it without pity or respect for them. And what I say, I know, because I saw everything with my own eyes.

About the island of Hispaniola [Haiti]

The island of Hispaniola was the first, as we have said, to be entered by the Christians; here was the beginning of the death and extermination of these people [Indians]; having first devastated and devastated the island, the Christians began to take away the wives and children from the Indians in order to force them to serve themselves and use them in the most evil and cruel way ... Having received numerous oppressions, insults and violence from the Christians, the Indians realized that such people could not come from the sky ... And then the Indians began to look for means by which they could throw the Christians of their lands out, and they took up arms. But their weapons are too weak, both for attack and for defense. All their wars differ little from Castilian games and children's amusements! And the Christians, with their horses, swords and spears, began to inflict merciless battles among the Indians and create extreme cruelties ... And all those who could escape fled to the forests and mountains, escaping there from the Spaniards - such inhuman and ruthless cattle, exterminators and enemies of the human race . The desperate and the worst dogs who rushed at the Indians, tore them to pieces and devoured them ... And if sometimes (this was rare and always fair) the Indians killed one of the Christians, then the latter, having agreed among themselves, decided that for one killed Christian they needed kill a hundred Indians. There were five very large kingdoms in Hispaniola, they were ruled by five powerful senior kings ... One of these kingdoms, which was called Jaragua, was, as it were, the center, the “courtyard” of the entire island, and the Jaragua Indians were an aristocracy, famous for their beauty, culture, politeness and subtle speech, nobility and generosity. Behechio was king and had a sister, Anacaona [the widow of the cacique Maguana Caonabo, who died because of the treachery of the Spaniards]. Both of them rendered great services to the kings of Castile. After the death of Behechio, Anacaona became the ruler. The governor of the island arrived there with his army - 60 mounted and 300 on foot (mounted alone was enough to destroy the entire kingdom). At the call of this governor, 300 caciques came and he tricked them, poor fellows, into a thatched hut, and then ordered them to be set on fire, and they all burned alive. All other people were hacked to death with swords, and Senor Anacaon, to honor her, was hanged! ... Some Indians managed to escape from these unheard-of cruelties to a small island 8 leagues by sea, but the governor ordered everyone who escaped the massacre to be captured and turned into slavery. The kingdom of Higuey was ruled by an old queen, Señora Iguanama, who was also later hanged. And I saw with my own eyes how an infinite number of people were cut down, tortured, tortured, burned, and those who survived were enslaved. And there were so many ways of destruction and murder that it would be impossible to describe. In fact, I believe that no matter how much they say and write, a thousandth of all atrocities and murders cannot be justified and explained.

I want to conclude, I affirm and swear that my words are true, that the Indians themselves did not give any reason and were not to blame for the fact that some of them were killed and others were enslaved. And I also affirm, and I can swear, that the Indians did not commit a single mortal sin against Christians - there was neither revenge nor hatred that they could experience against Christians, such terrible enemies for them. Maybe some Indians tried to take revenge, but I know for sure that the Indians waged the most just wars against the Christians, and the Christians were never just, and all their wars against the Indians are the most unjust, predatory and tyrannical of all that exist on earth... (Bartolome de Las Casas. Op. cit., p. 12-14, 17-18. Las Casas did not name the murderous governor: we are talking about the viceroy and governor of Hispaniola from 1502, Don Nicolás de Ovando, commander Lares, the owner of the highest Castilian order of Alcantara. According to contemporaries - Spaniards and Indians - Anacaona was an outstanding woman in mind and beauty.).

About the island of Cuba

In the year 1511 the Spaniards came to the island of Cuba, which is as great as, for example, the distance from Valladolid to Rome. And even more cruelly than on other islands, Christians behaved. And a remarkable thing happened there. Kasik Atuey fled from the atrocities of Christians from Hispaniola to Cuba with many of his people. When he learned that the Christians had come to Cuba, he gathered his soldiers and said to them:

You have already heard that Christians are nearby! And you know what the people from the island of Haiti suffered from them. It will be the same here. Do you know why Christians do this? II the Indians answered the cacique:

No, we don't. Is it just because by nature they are cruel and evil.

No, not only because, - said the cacique. - They have a god they worship, and in order to force us to worship him, they kill or enslave us!

Near the cacique stood a basket of gold ornaments, and he said, pointing to it:

See, here is the god of the Christians. Let's perform a ceremony before him, and perhaps by doing this we will propitiate him, and he will order that Christians do no harm to us!

And they all shouted together: “Good! Fine! Agree! And they began to dance and dance to exhaustion. And then the cacique said: - If we keep this god, the Christians will kill us to take it away. Let's throw it in the river.

And they threw the gold into a great river that flowed there. This cacique Atway always sought to get away from the Christians wherever they came, knowing what they threatened, but when he encountered them, he defended himself. Nevertheless, finally, the cacique was also captured for trying to leave or defending himself ... the Christians sentenced him to be burned alive. A Franciscan monk who was there said that the cacique was tied to a post. He himself did not hear all the words, for the executioners gave little time to this man, he only heard how another monk told the cacique about our faith and that “he will ascend to heaven, where glory and eternal rest, and if he does not accept faith, he will go to hell, where torture and torment. And the cacique, after thinking, asked: “Will the Christians go to heaven?” The monk replied that yes, but only the most good and kind; and then the cacique, without hesitation, said that "he does not want to go to heaven, but wants to go to hell, so as not to be again among Christians, such cruel people!" Such is the glory and honor that the Lord God and our faith have earned for themselves in the example of the Christian Spaniards in India...

During the three or four months that I was in Cuba, more than 7,000 children died of starvation, as their mothers and fathers were taken to the mines ... This magnificent island soon turned out to be completely deserted. I saw him some time later, he caused pity and pain - it was a desert! (Bartolome de Las Casas. Op. cit., p. 20-22. Cacique Atuey is called the first rebel of Cuba. He fought for freedom and preferred death to slavery. The Cuban people cherish the memory of nm. “The people of Baracoa are proud to be the heirs of Atway, who for many years ignited the flames of struggle.When a local organization of the United socialist party, the revolutionaries of Baracoa gave her the name of the cacique Atuey,” writes Norberto Fuentes (“Cuba”, 1965, No. 5, pp. 4-5.)).

About Terra Firma

(So ​​called then the entire northwestern part South America between Orinoco, Amazon, coast Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean coast.)

In the year 1514, one unfortunate governor came there (This was a conquistador known for his cruelty, a noble Castilian Pedro Arias Davila, usually called Pedrarias.)- a terribly cruel and unbridled tyrant (no nobility, although a Castilian!). He came there, as if the instrument of God's wrath, in order to populate this land a large number Spaniards; they were all tyrants and robbers, they killed and robbed the Indians. This tyrant governor surpassed all others who were on the islands with his atrocities, destruction and destruction of the Indians, as if throwing people into hell! He devastated many leagues of land upwards from the Darien to the provinces of Nicaragua inclusive, amounting to more than 500 leagues; he bled the best and most populous of the lands that is on the globe, with a huge number of large villages and villages. There were the greatest reserves of the purest gold, such as had not been seen before, from which the Castilian royal treasury would have swelled! And the Indians mined it from the bowels of the earth and died in the mines from overwork. This governor and his subordinates invented more and more new types of cruelty and torture in order to find out from the Indians where there is gold ... An eyewitness was the Franciscan monk brother Francisco San Roman, who saw how the Indians were pierced with swords, burned at the stake, thrown at the mercy of the dogs. Terrible blindness was possessed by the people who ruled India; they should have converted the Indians to the Christian faith, but this was only in words. In fact, they wanted only one thing - to instill in them fear and obedience to the kings of Castile, otherwise they would conquer them with a sword and fire (it is not clear why all the Indians did not resist this!) ? Must they lose their lands, their freedom, their wives, even their lives, if they themselves do not wish to serve kings they have never seen or heard of?

After all, this is an absurdity worthy not only of condemnation, but even of hell!

This unfortunate governor sent various scoundrels and thieves who knew where the gold was. They came to the village at night and hastily read the decree: “The caciques and the Indians of such and such a village, we bring to your attention that there is a god, and there is a pope, and there is a king of Castile, who is the lord of all lands. And so he orders you - his loyal subjects - to obey, otherwise, know that we will go to war with you, we will kill and take prisoner! In the early morning, when these unfortunate people slept with their families, the Spaniards set fire to their houses. And those Indians who were taken alive were tortured to tell them where their gold was. And then the Spaniards looked for gold in the ruins of the conflagrations ... This governor and his bastard Christians were engaged in such shameful deeds, starting from 1514 to 1521-1522. And he also sent his servants - five, six or more - for gold, pearls and jewels. So did the officers of the king, their soldiers and servants; even the bishop himself took part in these robberies, sending his servants too! .. And now there are not even traces and signs that there were villages and living people on these lands, and this kingdom had 300 leagues of densely populated land. There is no number of murders, robberies, endless crimes and destruction that this despicable governor and his subordinates have committed in this kingdom ( Bartolome de Las Casas. Op. cit., p. 22-25.).

About New Spain [Mexico]

In the year 1518, New Spain was discovered ... those who called themselves Christians and said that they were going to populate these lands went there for robbery and murder. And from 1518 to this day, and now it is already 1542, everything has reached its climax - the cruel tyranny and injustice that Christians show against the Indians, Christians who have lost all fear of God, of the king, even of themselves! Such cruelties and murders, destruction and robberies on this big land that everything that was before is nothing compared to what is being done here ... And all this in the city of Mexico City and its suburbs, in a kingdom larger than Spain, even more densely populated than Toledo, Seville, Zaragoza , Valencia and Barcelona… In the course of 12 years, so many women and children, youths and old people were killed with daggers, burned alive; and what Christians call "conquest" is still going on, but in fact - cruel tyranny, condemned not only by divine, but also by human laws ... When the Indians saw unheard-of cruelties and injustices ... Christians... and many Christians were killed. But they were killed in a just and holy war, which the Indians fought for a just cause; any reasonable, just person will justify their actions ... I will tell about the greatest tyrant, who later came to Guatemala and in his atrocities surpassed all other tyrants wherever he went, there he destroyed, killed, plundered, let it be known to everyone! (Ibid., p. 29, 30, 34, 36. We are talking about the conquistadors Hernando Cortes, Pedro de Alvarado, their officers and soldiers.).

Of the province and kingdom of Guatemala

And the Indians met him with music and dances, as if on a holiday. The seigneur king of the capital Atitlan himself treated him and gave him everything he could... the earth has no gold). Then he burned all the caciques alive, without any fault, for nothing ... Such atrocities continued for 7 years, from 1524 to 1530. Judge for yourself how many innocent people were destroyed by Christians! .. This tyrant allowed every Spaniard to take as many Indian slaves as he wanted. And the Spaniards took 50 or 100 slaves or more, as they thought they needed. And so all the Indians were divided among the Christians and gave them all their strength. The only thing that was still missing was for them to deify them! .. This tyrant drove the Indians out of their homes, took their wives and daughters and distributed them to his soldiers and sailors, filled ships with Indians beyond measure, and many died of hunger and thirst. And to tell the truth, if I had to tell about all the atrocities, it would turn out such a thick book that would shock the whole world! dishonored and raped, how many he deprived of freedom, how many people died from bullying, how many blood and tears he forced to shed ... And this applies not only to the Indians that he destroyed, but also to the unfortunate Christians whom he involved in such terrible, difficult and sinful deeds (Bartolome de Las Casas. Op. cit., p. 37-39, 40-41.).

Of the great kingdoms and great provinces of Peru

In the year 1531 one titled tyrant with his men went to the kingdom of Peru, with the same intentions and principles as before (he had a great experience in Terra Firma since 1510). He grew up on cruelty, murder and robbery; but here he so increased both slaughter and robbery, destroying cities and villages, being the source of such atrocities in new lands, that we are sure that there will be no one who could convey all this, so that he would appear in a bright light convicting him on the day of judgment. (We are talking about the conquistadors Francisco Pizarro, Diego Almagro and the priest de Luca.). Of the endless cruelties and atrocities committed by these men who called themselves Christians, I will mention only a few of which a Franciscan friar was a witness. He sent messages both to the Audiencia of Mexico and to the Council of the Indies in Castile. I have a copy of his letter which says:

“I, Fra Marco de Nisa, Franciscan, head of the order in the province of Peru, was one of the first clergy who arrived in these provinces, and I report and assure the veracity of my words what I saw with my own eyes on this earth ... In - First, I am a witness and personally was able to make sure that the Indians of Peru are the most benevolent and most friendly to Christians of all the Indians that I have met. I know that they gave the Spaniards an abundance of gold, silver and precious stones and everything that the Spaniards demanded from them and what they possessed ... I also was a witness and confirm that without any reason and without reason on the part of the Indians, when the Spaniards came to these lands, and after the Inca Atabaliba [Ataualpa] gave them more than two million castellanos in gold and all their land, they burned him, the owner and lord of this land, and together with him burned his general Kachilimak ... A few days they burned another eminent lord of Chamba, a cacique of the province of Quito, without any fault, without even telling him why! .. And many other caciques for not giving them as much gold as they demanded ... And I swear to God and my conscience, only because of cruel treatment, and for no other reason, did the Indians of Peru rise and revolt, because the Spaniards did not keep their word, acted against all reason and justice, and humiliated the Indians in every possible way and forced them to work so hard that they They thought it was better to die than to suffer like this. This caused a great offense to the Lord God and great damage to your Majesty, for you are losing such a rich land that could feed all of Castile ... ". This letter from the friar was also signed by the Bishop of Mexico, who confirmed all of the above. (Bartolome de Las Casas. Op. cit., p. 68, 70-72.).

With this I am ready to end, if there is no new information about atrocities and lawlessness (although greater ones cannot be imagined), or if we do not encounter new atrocities that we have observed continuously for 42 years. And it seems to me, and I am even sure, that so much destruction and murder, violence and robbery, bullying and terrible atrocities were committed in new lands and over these people [Indians] and are being committed to this day throughout India, that no matter how I go into detail described, even a ten-thousandth part cannot tell everything that is being done there. And in order for any Christian to feel sympathy for this innocent people, for their destruction, for the cruelties that they endure, and for this Christian to feel even more guilt, deceit and cruelty of all Spaniards, let everyone know the truth that I have stated and under which I subscribe. After India was discovered, not a single Indian did harm to any Christian, unless he himself, an Indian, suffered from the evil, outrage, robbery and betrayal of the Spaniards. Previously, the Indians considered the Spaniards immortal and, as it were, messengers from heaven, and therefore how they were accepted, how they trusted them, until the Spaniards showed what they really were and what they needed! It should be added that, to this day and from the beginning, the aim of the Spaniards was to see to it that the Indians were converted to the Christian faith; but in fact the Spaniards forbade the priests from preaching, and even sometimes persecuted and insulted them, for the Spaniards were afraid that the priests would prevent them from robbing the Indians of gold and silver, to which their insatiable thirst for profit led them. And therefore today in all the lands of India they know nothing about God, and what is it - a stick, heaven or earth! And I, Fra Bartolome de Las Casas, a Dominican monk, am at the Spanish court and trying to expel hell from India in order to save the souls of the Spaniards, out of love and pity for my homeland of Castile, so that God would not destroy it for its great sins and atrocities, committed against faith and honor ... I finish my work in Valencia, December 8, 1542, when tyranny has not yet ended and violence and oppression, murders and robberies, destruction and devastation, sorrows and disasters continue in all parts of India where there are Christians ... The Spaniards are outrageous, do not want to comply with the "New Laws", usurp the rights of the Indians and keep them in permanent slavery. Where they stopped killing Indians with swords, they are killed by overwork and injustice. And until now, the king is not powerful enough to prevent this, because everyone - children and adults - rob, some less, others more, some - publicly and openly, others - secretly, hiding behind the fact that they serve the king, but in reality they dishonor God and damage the king. This work was printed in the glorious and noble city of Seville, the home of the book publisher Sebastian Trujillo, in the year 1552. (Bartolome de Las Casas. Op. cit., p. 80-81, 83.)

As already noted, on his return from America to Spain, Las Casas decided in 1552 to print his treatise, apparently without the permission of the king. It is difficult to doubt the sincere religiosity of Las Casas: his statements are imbued with the ideals of Christian humanism and morality. It would seem that for the church there can be no doubt about the trustworthiness of the old bishop! And yet, in the same 1552, the 78-year-old Las Casas was brought to trial by the Inquisition precisely for this treatise. Juan Antonio Llorente writes: “Since the Inquisition was established, there has hardly been a single person, famous for his knowledge, whom she would not persecute as a heretic ... To leave no doubt about this, I will give here a few examples this kind of persecution…” (Juan Antonio Llorente. A Critical History of the Spanish Inquisition, vol. I. M., 1936, p. 570.). And among many, Llorente mentions Las Casas: “24. Casas (Dom Bartolome de Las), Dominican, first Bishop of Chiapa ... finally - a freelancer with the right to stay in Spain. He was a defender of the rights and freedoms of the natives | America]. He wrote several excellent works... In one of them he tries to prove that the kings have no power to dispose of the property and freedom of their American subjects to enslave them to other lower authorities under the name of fief, commandery or in any other way. This work was reported to the council of the Inquisition as contrary to what St. Peter and St. Paul regarding the subjection of slaves and vassals to their masters. The author was greatly distressed when he learned of the intention to persecute him. However, the council only required him to issue a legal order of the book and several times outside of Spain, as Peño noted in his " critical, literary and bibliographic dictionary wonderful books, burned, destroyed or banned by censorship ... ”manuscripts that he executed in 1552. Then the book was printed (Juan Antonio Llorente, op. cit., vol. I, pp. 577, 578.).

And in the "Short chronological list of the most significant facts ..." Llorente, speaking of the processes, again mentions Las Casas: "1552. Trial of Mary of Bourgogne, eighty-five years old; she is tortured and dies. Her body is burned! Auto-da-fé in Seville.

Bartolome de Las Casas, Bishop of Chiapa in America, is persecuted by the Inquisition. He died in 1566" (Ibid., vol. II, p. 455.) .

Las Casas was not tortured, not burned at the stake... José Martí wrote about him: “He used his knowledge of religion and law to defend human rights to freedom. In those days, one had to have very great courage to say such things, since the Inquisition burned people for such speeches. The king and queen with a court retinue solemnly went to these burnings ... and black smoke rose from the fires over all of Spain ... "( Jose Marty. La Edad del Oro. La Habana, 1962, p.90.) .

It is certain that this treatise, prior to its issuance to the tribunal, became widely known in Spain and in America. As you might expect, it generated incredible rancor against its author. Las Casas was accused of being a traitor and a traitor, a heretic and an enemy of Spain, and that he wrote not so much out of love for the Indians as out of hatred for the Spaniards!

For the next more than 300 years, no Spanish publisher dared to print the works of Las Casas. “The entire subsequent history of the publication of his works over the course of these three centuries unfolded outside his homeland, in close connection with the development of Western European international relations and social thought in the era of transition from feudalism to the bourgeois system" ( V.L. Afanasiev. Literary heritage of Bartolome de Las Casas and some questions of the history of its publication. - In Sat. "Bartolome de Las Casas. On the history of the conquest of America. M., 1966, p. 202.). And since the end of the XVI century. the treatise "The Shortest Report on the Destruction of the Indies" appears in France (1579, 1620, 1697, 1698, 1701), in Holland (1578), in Germany (1613, 1665) and in Italy (1626, 1630, 1643) ( Ibid., pp. 222, 223.) .

In the treatise, the names of tyrants-con-quistadors are deliberately not named. Llorente and Marty believe that such nobility is characteristic of Las Casas. And Llorente adds: “... he felt that it was enough to state all the facts without calling for retribution on the heads of those responsible. After all, there were no people in Madrid or at the court who did not know them. It should be added that Llorente, one of the first, publishing in Paris in 1822 some of the works of Las Casas, considered it necessary "to fill this gap since the death of these tyrants called them to the judgment of history." And he made at the end of the book "17 Criticisms" - a kind of commentary on the treatise, in which Llorente revealed all the names ("Oeuvres ...", vol. I, p.5.).

Not only contemporaries, but also subsequent ideological opponents of Las Casas accused him of exaggerating, that the facts he cited were greatly exaggerated, and the numbers of the destroyed American Indians were fantastic.

The Soviet scientist I. R. Grigulevich points out that there is a whole literature convicting Las Casas of inaccuracies and exaggerations. But the whole point, he writes, is that Las Casas not only denounced the atrocities of the colonialists, but also denied the very legitimacy of the conquest. This is what the supporters of colonialism could not forgive him for and still do not forgive him. I. R. Grigulevich’s statement is absolutely correct that the evolution of the views of Las Casas, who began by condemning the arbitrariness of the conquerors, is of paramount importance for us, and “in last years his life comes to the complete denial of any right of the Spanish crown to conquer and colonial seizures of newly discovered lands " (I.R. Grigulevich. Bartolome de Las Casas - an accuser of colonialism. - In the collection "Bartolome de Las Casas". M., 1966, p. 12.).

The outstanding German geographer and traveler Alexander Humboldt, who visited America at the beginning of the 19th century, bitterly stated that the colonial seizure of the New World was "an act of injustice and violence." Speaking of the vast lands of Terra Firma, he continues: “If the Spaniards visited its coasts, it was only in order to get slaves, pearls, gold nuggets through violence and deceit ... zeal..." (A. Humboldt. Journey to the equinox regions of the New World in 1799-1804. Sailing along the Orinoco. M., 1963, pp. 241, 244.) How does this echo the words of Las Casas, who branded the conquistadors, who "with a sword and a cross in their hand and with an insatiable thirst for gold" rushed into New World!

The Cuban scientist L. Marrero reports that in 1512, by the time Diego de Velazquez came to power, there were about 300,000 inhabitants in Cuba. But the wars that Velasquez waged, as another Cuban scientist A. Nunez Jimenez writes, exterminated almost the entire Indian population of the island, since “the Spaniards were well armed, and the Indians had only an ax and a stone” (Antonio Nunes Jimenez. Geografia de Cuba. La Habana, 1961, p.112.) .

The French researcher P. Rive determines the population of all America before its discovery and conquest at 40-45 million, but another French researcher, P. Shonyu, believes that this figure is greatly underestimated and should be increased to 80-100 million people (M.S. Alperovich. Indian population Latin America in the XVI-XVII centuries - "Questions of History", 1965, No. 4, pp. 198-199.). A. Humboldt lived in Spanish America for five years (1799-1804). After collecting a variety of information and taking into account the increase in population towards the end of 1823, Humboldt calculated the population of Spanish America approximately in the following figures:

(Here Humboldt takes the Indians of Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Chile, Peru and the city of Buenos Aires with the provinces (“Peoples of America”, vol. II. M., 1959, pp. 30-31.)) Therefore, the mass destruction of the Indians was a cruel reality and truth, and not an exaggeration and fiction of Las Casas.

A well-known figure in the US Communist Party, William Foster, wrote that “the barbaric extermination of the West Indians prompted the famous Spanish Catholic priest Bartolome de Las Casas to decisively raise his voice in their defense ... The current apologists for the reactionary Spanish culture, including Carlos Davila, are trying to discredit Las Casas... claiming that he slandered the conquistadors and unfairly created a bad reputation for them. But although this famous priest sometimes cited inaccurate figures, the correctness of his conclusions is confirmed by an irrefutable fact - in the very first years of Spanish rule, the Indians in the West Indies were almost completely exterminated. (William Z. Foster. Essay on the political history of America. M., 1955, pp. 51-52.).

Probably, at the end of his life, Las Casas painfully experienced his mistake: a utopian belief that the royal power - the source of law and order - could curb evil and arbitrariness. His "proud but powerless title" of the official protector of the Indians remained on paper, like other laws of the kings of Spain in America. He understood that history could not be reversed, and he tried by all means available to him to achieve recognition of the Indians as "free vassals" of the Spanish crown, that is, to wrest them from the hands of the encomendero feudal lords. But, of course, one can agree with the Soviet researcher M. A. Gukovsky that “Las Casas did not understand, and could not understand, that both his militant humanism and his cruel, bloody enemy - indefatigable self-interest - were born of the same reason : young capitalism starting its journey around the world ... that he, like his younger contemporary Don Quixote of La Mancha, just like him, a typical Spanish hidalgo, is fighting against windmills. But the more hopeless this struggle was, the more attractive it seems to us, witnesses of the end of that colonialism with which Las Casas fought in its first steps, the figure of this humanist-hero, priest and monk, who fearlessly fought with the entire gigantic machine of the Catholic Church .. . who opposed the no less gigantic machine of the Spanish kingdom ... " (See E. Melentyeva. Bartolome de Las Casas, defender of the Indians. L., 1966, pp. 9-10.) .

At the end of his life, Las Casas came "to the idea of ​​the need to preserve Indian society under the rule of the caciques and under the rule of the king of Spain." This position of Las Casas, according to the Cuban historian Le Riverand, has "a completely clear historical basis: he demanded that the colonial feudal lords return to the Indians what they stole from them" (Sat. "Bartolome de Las Casas". M., 1966, pp. 34-35.) Therefore, as Le Reverend correctly believes, Las Casas found only a temporary ally in the crown. And already in 1555, Las Casas wrote an angry letter on 70 pages to England to the adviser of King Philip II - Padre Carranza de Miranda (“Coleccion…”, t. LXXI (71), pp. 383-420.). Here is an excerpt from this letter: “... I am sure that the king will be severely punished for ruining India. What right has he to extort money for the crown, washed by the tears of unfortunate Indians? The kings of Castile owe a great debt to the discovery of the New World... And if I still haven't done half of what I think about twenty times a day, if I haven't taken my staff and set off on foot to England, then I I protest badly against tyrants and rapists, although God entrusted me with this work. But even God himself would shudder with horror if he saw what I have seen in sixty years!

Is there anything contradictory in this evolution of Las Casas' views? It seems not. Such an evolution is entirely legitimate. And if in the treatise “The Shortest Report on the Destruction of the Indies”, Las Casas denounced the arbitrariness and atrocities of the colonizers and doubted the legality of the conquest, then at the end of his life he spoke openly about the need to return the conquered lands to their rightful owners - the Indians. In his memorial, written in 1564, Las Casas argues with irresistible legal validity that the kings of Spain must correct the evil done by the Spaniards in Peru and give the rightful rulers - the Incas - all guarantees for the preservation of their empire. It was about the Inca Tito, who was hiding from the Spaniards in the Andes. He was the grandson of "the most powerful ... the most brilliant ruler of Tahuantinsuyu, the Inca Wayne Capac" (V.A. Kuzmishchev. Once again about the Incas. - “Latinskaya America”, 1973, No. 2, p. 149. Huayna Capac is the father of the Inca Atahualpa, treacherously killed by Pizarro in 1533).

“...I know that there will be objections to my proposals. The first argument of my opponents: the Inca can revolt against Spain. I object, because this is said by people who were usurpers of the lands of Peru and it is beneficial for them to maintain the existing situation ... The second argument: the Inca, having received power, will oppose the conversion of its vassals to the Christian faith. I believe, on the contrary, that the Inca will be the first to speak for the recognition of our faith, for no matter what impression the truth may have on his soul, he will understand that the only way to regain the empire will be this reasonable and sound measure. If the Spaniards in Peru force the Indians to remember their former tyranny, and if nothing changes in the existing system of government, then at least a miracle is needed to sincerely convert the Indians to Christianity! .. The Spaniards, who exterminated many inhabitants of the New World with fire and sword, violated this all the principles of good faith are like the pagans who shed the blood of the first martyrs, or the Turks who destroy Christians. I can only add that the barbarism of the Spaniards is as great as the barbarity of these infidels!” (“Ouevres…”, p. 331-335.) .

The College of San Gregorio in Valladolid has been his home since the return of Las Casas to Spain. But the links of Las Casas with America were not interrupted. After all, friends and associates remained there, however, there were few of them, but they were faithful people! From them came a stream of letters, and each of them spoke of the ongoing injustice, each letter asked for help ... Let's choose at least one of the hundreds of these letters ... It was received in 1563 from Canon Nakutlan in Chiapas - Fra Thomas de la Torres:

“Venerable seigneur, our father! Long time no mail from you. Are you healthy, are you alive? Brother Juan de Zepeda will bring you this letter and tell you how bad things are, how the people are suffering from the authorities of Chiapas and from everyone else. If you can help in any way, may God bless you for it. I was told that the king took these lands and I thought that he would free the Indians from taxes. But even under the crown they are very oppressed. I'm even afraid to take a pen in my hands to write to you, our father! And the corregidor and his officers - they all offend the Indians very much. He is paid 200 pesos of tribute and brought to him whatever he requires. And the officers just rob, and behave so badly, and set such bad examples that I'm already tired of protesting. I can't speak, I don't see a way to change anything. Local authorities persecute and oppress us. We, the monks, are trying to unite the people, give them water, build temples and schools... But all this is met badly, we do not receive any gratitude, apparently we will only get it in the next world. And Father Juan de Zepeda will tell you everything in more detail ... he was sent to Spain, but you try to convince him to return to us and bring good news. Let the king help him, and Juan Guzmán, who also rides with him. I already wrote to you that he is a good and poor man, we owe him a lot, and he does a lot of good for the Indians ...

Your brother and son Thomas de la Torres." (“Coleccion…”, t. LXX (70), pp. 605-607.)

In 1564, Las Casas decided to make a will. Op understood that all his work and all the accumulated experience during his half-century stay in America should serve the future, all of humanity.

“... I have given and am giving to the College of San Gregorio everything that I wrote in Latin and in Spanish, everything that concerns the Indians of America, and a General History of the Indies, written in my own hand in Spanish. And it is my will that it does not leave the walls of the college, except for printing when the time comes, and let the original always be kept in the college. I ask and demand from the venerable rector and brothers that they take up this matter, keep and protect my work. I rely on their conscience. I receive a large number of letters from various persons and from almost all parts of America, which speak of the evil and injustice that the Indians suffer from our nation, and that the Spaniards destroy and offend them without reason, and that they ask to plead with the King and the Council [of the Indies ]. Since these letters are witnesses to the truth, which I have defended for many years, and they speak of oppression and destruction, these letters will serve as historical documents, confirmed by many persons worthy of trust. I appeal to the venerable rector to entrust to the most respected member of the college these letters, which are stored there and which I receive to this day. And that he made a book out of these letters, sorting them out by person and year, as they were sent, and by the provinces from which they come. And may they be placed in the library of the college for all eternity, for if God will destroy Spain, so that everyone will understand that it is because of all the atrocities in America. And let justice be done! Such a selection should be made by a conscientious and accurate person, and let him bring it to the end of February 1564. And I want it to be released, as I said, and see the light, and signed in my name... Brother Bartolome de Las Casas, Bishop."

This is an excerpt from a will, certified by the notary Gaspar Testa, and sealed in the presence of seven witnesses in Madrid on March 17, 1564. (“Coleccion…”, t. LXX (70), pp. 236-238.)…

Las Casas belongs not only to history. Julio Le Riverend writes that the exploitation of the Indians and the entire American population continued for centuries, although it changed its forms. “The personality of Bartolome de Las Casas is becoming increasingly important, as the struggle he started for the freedom of the Indians and for the return of everything that was taken from them continues to this day. Now, centuries later, modern encomenderos and latifundists ... squeeze all the juice out of the Indians with the same cruelty, although using more subtle methods, as did the conquistadors of the 16th century. Therefore, the voice of Las Casas is heard more and more clearly and distinctly in the agrarian anti-imperialist revolution. (Sat. Bartolome de Las Casas, p. 37.).

The Mexican scientist Eracleo Cepeda, a native of the state of Chiapas, where Las Casas once lived, said of him: “Having lived in his diocese for less than a year, he still, 420 years later, remained in the memory of the people of Mexico ... During the war of independence, reading the works of Las Casas were forbidden and those caught in the "crime" were severely persecuted" (Ibid., p. 113; the city of Ciudad Real in Mexico is now Ciudad de Las Casas.). The outstanding poet of Latin America Pablo Neruda addressed the great Spanish humanist. In his collection "Universal Song" there are poems dedicated to Las Casas:

There were few lives like yours...
You united in yourself
all the burning torments of the continent,
all the wounds of the mutilated, all the sorrow
Indian villages, an intruder. exterminated.
Everything is reborn in your shadow,
on the verge of agony you erected a new hope.
Great happiness for mankind, our father, was,
that you came to us on the plantation,
tasted the bread of black crimes,
that daily you drank the cup of wrath,
increasing the national anger...
Here your cause was served only by your invincible determination,
stubbornness of a fiery heart everywhere weapons raised to fight
(Pablo Neruda. Selected works in two volumes, vol. 2. M., 1958, pp. 70-72.)

Pablo Neruda felt the great connection of times. And through the centuries, he calls Las Casas to his home:

Your outstretched hands
they were a star, a guiding sign for people.
Come to my house today, my father!
I will show you letters about suffering.
I will show you the suffering of the people, and the pain and oppression of man
and ancient sorrows I will show you.
And to establish myself on earth to me,
and to continue the fight with dignity, -
give my heart the wine of searching
and the unyielding bread of your love.

(translated by E. A. Melentieva)
The text is reproduced according to the publication: Voice of Las Casas // Latin America, No. 1. M. 1975

© text - Melentyeva E. A. 1975
© online version - Thietmar. 2006
© OCR - Ingvar. 2006
© design - Voitekhovich A. 2001
© Latin America. 1975

Born in Seville around 1474, Bartolome de Las Casas must have been accustomed since childhood to the white, black, and red-skinned slaves brought to Spain from the Levant, from the Barbary coast, from the Canary Islands, and from West Africa. Later, when he lived among the West Indian colonists, he more than once had to visit the cassava plantations, pastures and gold mines of the Antillean possessions of Spain, communicate with Indians - servants and laborers, Caribs and other natives enslaved as a result of wars and predatory raids. Spanish colonizers.

Outraged by the oppression of the Indians, Las Casas rose to their defense, which was largely facilitated by the bold denunciatory sermon of the Dominican missionary Antonio de Montesino, delivered in 1511 in Hispaniola. “Are they not human? he exclaimed. - Do not the commandments of mercy and justice apply to them? Aren't they masters of their own lands? And did these people offend us in any way?

Las Casas opposed the conversion of the Indians into slavery, because he did not recognize the wars waged against them by the Spaniards as just; he did not recognize the legitimacy of the so-called ransom system, which forced an Indian slave to buy his freedom at the cost of enslaving another Indian who took his place, which was alien to the natives, since slavery was not developed among them and they put a completely different meaning into the word “slave” than Europeans.

In Algunos Principios, included by Las Casas in a collection of treatises published in Seville in 1552, he argued that every person should be considered free. All rational beings are born free, therefore freedom is a natural human right.

In his fifth Treatise, Las Casas states: "Apart from life itself, the freedom of man is his most precious possession, and therefore it deserves protection in the first place, no matter whose freedom is questioned, the decision should be in favor of freedom." Therefore, as Las Casas believed, “His Majesty, in the name of justice, should be ordered to release all the Indians enslaved by the Spaniards. In this matter, the main assistance should be provided by the clergy; penance should be imposed on any Spaniard who has Indian slaves who have not been examined by a royal tribunal in accordance with the New Laws, and even better, if it is possible to avoid the recourse to the Audiencia and the possible casuistry of legal proceedings altogether.

As for the enslavement of Africans, here Las Casas initially held different views. While in the West Indies, he believed that the plight of the native population, which was on the verge of complete annihilation, could be alleviated by the use of Negroes exported from Africa as labor instead.

In her book "Las Casas as a Bishop" (1980), Helen Rand Parish notes that as early as 1543-1544. Las Casas offered to bring two dozen black slaves to the Diocese of Chiapas to work on the cassava plantations. Only later, perhaps in 1546, and most likely by 1552, as Parish notes, Las Casas realized the whole injustice of "black" slavery and bitterly repented of his error.

On June 30, 1560, Archbishop Alonso de Montufar of Mexico wrote to the King of Spain: “We see no reason why blacks more than Indians should be slaves, because they willingly accept baptism and do not attack Christians.”

In a famous passage from History (Book II, Chapter 58), Las Casas himself explains that his proposal to bring Negroes into America was caused by the desire to alleviate the plight of the Indians, but that later, seeing how the Portuguese trampled on the rights and dignity of Africans converted into slavery, he repented of this thought and since then considers the enslavement of the Negroes an act of injustice and despotism, for "they should be discussed in the same way as the Indians."

Speaking against the enslavement of Indians and Africans, Las Casas formulated two remarkable definitions: one of them reflects his concept of man, the other reveals the enduring value of freedom.

In The History of the Indies (Book II, Chapter I), he repeats his famous conclusion that “all the peoples of the world are human beings, and it is this that defines them once and for all. All of them are endowed with understanding and will, all are capable of experiencing the same feelings ... everyone loves good and knows how to rejoice, everyone rejects and hates evil and feels anxiety and anxiety when they encounter something that is unpleasant or harmful to them.

Moreover, Las Casas believed that all natives are capable of accepting civilization, that they can contribute to the progress of mankind: uncultivated land will not give birth to anything but thistles and weeds, and with proper care, due to its inherent properties, it is capable of producing useful and desired fruits; in the same way, there can be no people in the world, no matter how wild and inhuman they may be, peoples who, having received the proper instruction required by human nature, would not be able to become, for the most part, rational citizens.

The transition of Las Casas to the camp of opponents of slavery was long and painful, but he nevertheless came to fair conclusions, which had a considerable impact on those who later continued his work.

When in 1808, under the influence of the events associated with the Napoleonic Wars, the struggle began in South America against the colonial domination of Spain, the personality and works of Las Casas were again in the spotlight. His ideas helped the rebels to prove the perniciousness of Spanish rule and the need to put an end to it. The writings of Las Casas became a reference book for Servando Teresa de Mier in Mexico, Simon Bolivar in Caracas and Jamaica, Gregorio Funes in Cordoba and Tucuman. Juan Antonio Llorente, a Spanish liberal who was in exile in France, also remembered him.

In the preface to the 1965 edition of the Treatises (1552), Lewis Hanke noted that the ideas and principles that Las Casas defended back in the 16th century remain relevant today, when the world community is striving to find a worthy foundation for a lasting peace. between peoples.

Las Casas's critical study of the complex problems of his time led him to rebel against the use of force to subjugate other peoples, against the slavery and oppression that inevitably accompanies colonial rule. However, Las Casas knew how to be critical of his own ideas. This is evidenced by his gradual realization of the injustice of subordinating the Indians to the spiritual and secular power of Spain without their own consent. He was equally self-critical in his views on the problem of slavery of Africans, eventually coming to the conclusion that the doctrine of freedom, which he defended in relation to the Indians, applies to all peoples.

In 1502, Bartolome, having received his first church position, went to try his luck at Hispaniola. There he received an encomienda - he put on land with Indians attached to it, who work for the encomendero in exchange for protection and education. So the colonialists solved the problem of labor force. Having received the priesthood in 1512, he continued the activities of the encomendero in Cuba.

In 1514, a "revelation" came to Las Casas and he refused the encomienda. In 1515 he returned to Spain to continue his service at the court of the king, with the support of the Dominicans of Hispaniola. In 1519, in Barcelona, ​​he brilliantly defended the thesis of the God-given freedom of the Indians.

Upon his return to India, he joins the Dominican Order. Being away from business (1522-1531), he received theological education, which helped him a lot in future debates. He also began work on his great works, which he wrote in defense of Indian civilizations: the Historia de las Indias; Apologetica Historia.

In 1539 he returned to Spain again. His influence and that of the Thomist theologians led Charles V to adopt the New Laws of 1542-1543, which proclaimed not only the abolition of Indian slavery, but also the phased abolition of the encomienda.

On his return to India in 1545, he was appointed Bishop of Chiapas, but did not get along with the local authorities and their Spanish supporters.

After his final return to Spain (1547) he devoted himself to writing scientific treatises and political activity. To attract public attention, he prints in Seville, without a license, a series of polemical stories, including the Brevisima relation de la destruction de las Indias, which instantly spread throughout Europe. Las Casas died in Madrid, presumably on July 18.

Mazen O. Spanish America XVI - XVIII centuries / Oscar Mazen. - M., Veche, 2015, p. 186-188.

Las Casas, Bartolom de (1474–1566), Spanish historian, born in Seville in 1474.

Having completed his studies in law and theology at the University of Salamanca, in 1502 he went to Santo Domingo.

Under the influence of the sermons of the Dominican monks, he became a priest in 1510.

The granting of an encomienda (Spanish encomienda - care; the transfer of land and nominally free Indians under the “protection” of encomenderos, their owners) in Cuba in 1514 brought him face to face with the moral problem of treating the Indians. Las Casas freed his slaves and then dedicated his life to fighting the encomienda system itself.

When his efforts to improve the situation came to nothing, Las Casas obtained an audience with King Ferdinand (1515). The benevolent reaction of the king did not give any practical results, since he died in 1516, but the cardinal regent Jimenez de Cisneros appointed Las Casas the chief procurator of the Indians. It was then that Las Casas suggested using black slaves instead of Indians for work, which he later repented of.

The negative review of the royal commission led to the suspension of his reforms, but in 1520 Las Casas received permission from Emperor Charles V to head the economy with free Indian workers. This experiment failed, and in 1523 the former reformer became a Dominican friar in Santo Domingo.

In 1527, Las Casas began writing the monumental chronicle History of the Indies (Historia de las Indias). He created this main work of his life for 37 years.

At that time, there were already laws prohibiting the mistreatment of Indians and new encomiendas, but they were not respected. Las Casas started the fight again in 1530, when a decree was issued banning the encomienda in Peru, which was also not respected.

In 1536, the authorities of Guatemala, hoping to appease the tireless "apostle of the Indians", offered him absolute power over Tetzelutlán in Guatemala if he could subdue the natives of this region by peaceful means. Here Las Casas was successful, but in 1538 the leadership of the order withdrew him, and in 1539 he was sent to Spain. In Spain, Las Casas painted a number of radical memorials based on ideas of natural equality and the right of peoples.

In 1541 he wrote an angry diatribe against the conquistadors called The Shortest Report on the Destruction of the Indies (Brevsima relacin de la destruccin de las Indias). This essay had a great impact on Emperor Charles V, who on November 21, 1542 adopted a set of laws prohibiting the encomienda and the enslavement of Indians, and made Las Casas Bishop of Chiapas in Mexico. However, the new laws were not implemented and were repealed in 1544.

Las Casas resigned his post and returned to Spain. For the next 22 years, he continued to tirelessly fight for the rights of the Indians.

The extensive work History of the Indies from 1492 to 1520 (Historia general de las Indias desde 1492 hasta 1520, 1877–1879) was published only in the 19th century.

Materials of the encyclopedia "The world around us" are used.

Las Casas, Bartolome de (1474 - 31.VII.1566) - Spanish humanist, historian and publicist. Graduated from the University of Salamanca. Since 1502 - a planter on the island of Haiti. In the years 1511-1514 - the chaplain of Velasquez's detachments in Cuba, in the years 1519-1521 - a missionary in Venezuela, in the 1530s - in Guatemala. In 1544-1550 - Bishop of Chiapas (Mexico). In 1551 he returned to Spain. Las Casas actively spoke out in defense of the oppressed Indians, denouncing colonialism and slavery, and fought for the elimination of the encomienda. In the treatise "On the only way of introducing all peoples to true religion"("Del unico modo de atraer a todos los pueblos a la verdadera religion", Mexico, 1942) argued that one should not impose faith on anyone by force, later came to recognize the justice of the armed resistance of the Indians to the invaders. He wrote a number of works on the history and ethnography of Central and South America, which are valuable sources on the history of the discovery of America and its capture by Spain.

V. L. Afanasiev. Leningrad.

Soviet historical encyclopedia. In 16 volumes. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 8, KOSHALA - MALTA. 1965.

Compositions: Brevíssima relación de la destrucción de las Indias, México, 1957, Historia de las Indias, v. 1-3, Mexico, 1951, Extracts in Russian. per. in the book: Travels of H. Columbus, M., 1961, p. 304-38, 397-422; Apologética historia de las Indias, Madrid, 1909.

Literature: Alperovich M. S., On the characterization of Las Casas, "VI", 1964, No 10, Afanasiev V. L., The exposer of the colonialists B. de Las Casas, in the book: Globus, L., 1962, his own, The legend of the "unknown helmsman", in the book: Travels and geographical discoveries in the XV - XIX centuries, M.-L., 1965, Hanke L. y Giménez Fernandez M., Bartolomé de Las Casas, 1474-1566. Bibliografía crítica, Santiago de Chile, 1954, Hanke L., Aristotle and the American Indians, N. Y., 1959, Chaunu P., Las Casas et la première crise structurelle de la colonisation espagnole, "RH", 1963, t. 229, r. 59-102, Salas A. M., Tres cronistas de Indias, Mexico, 1959.

Read further:

Historians (biographical guide).

Historical Persons of Spain (biographical guide)

Compositions:

Brevissima relación de la destrucción de las Indias, Mexico, 1957,

Historia de las Indias, v. 1-3, Mexico, 1951,

Excerpts in Russian. per. in the book: Travels of H. Columbus, M., 1961, p. 304-38, 397-422;

Apologética historia de las Indias, Madrid, 1909.

Literature:

Las Casas B. History of the Indians. - In the book: Travels of H. Columbus. M., 1961

Bartolome de Las Casas. M., 1966

History of Literature in Latin America, vol. 1. M., 1985

Bartolome de Las Casas (Spanish Bartolome de Las Casas), (August 24, 1484, Seville - July 17, 1566, Madrid) - Spanish priest, Dominican, the first permanent bishop of Chiapas. Known for his fight against atrocities against the indigenous population of America by the Spanish colonists.

Las Casas was born in Seville. With his father, Francisco emigrated to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola in 1502. Eight years later he became a priest and worked as a missionary to the Arawak (Taino) tribe in Cuba in 1512. His attempt in 1520-1521 to create a more just colonial society in Venezuela was thwarted by colonial neighbors who were able to organize an uprising of the indigenous population against him. In 1522 he entered the Dominican order.

According to some reports, Las Casas comes from a converted family, that is, a family of Jews converted to Christianity. He died in Madrid in 1566. In 2000, the Catholic Church began the process of his beatification.

Las Casas became known for advocating for the interests of Native Americans, whose culture, especially in the Caribbean countries, he describes in detail. In his descriptions of "caciqs" (leaders or princes), "bohiks" (shamans or priests), "ni-taino" (nobles) and "naboria" ( simple people) the structure of feudal society is clearly visible. His book The Shortest Report on the Destruction of the Indies (Spanish: Brevisima relacion de la destruccion de las Indias), published in 1552, provides a vivid description of the atrocities perpetrated by the conquistadors in America - in particular, in the Antilles, in Central America and in territories that today belong to Mexico - among which there are many events that he witnessed, as well as some events that he reproduces from the words of eyewitnesses. In one of his recent books, written just before his death, De thesauris in Peru, he passionately defends the rights of the indigenous people of Peru against the enslavement of the indigenous population by the early Spanish Conquest. The book also casts doubt on Spanish ownership of the treasures from the ransom paid for the liberation of Atahualpa (the Inca ruler), as well as the valuables found and taken from the burial sites of the indigenous population.

Introduced to King Philip II of Spain, Las Casas explained that he supported the barbaric acts when he first arrived in the New World, but soon became convinced that these terrible deeds would eventually lead to the collapse of Spain itself as divine retribution. According to Las Casas, the duty of the Spaniards is not to kill the Indians, but to convert them to Christianity, and then they will become devoted subjects of Spain. To relieve them of the burden of slavery, Las Casas offered to bring blacks from Africa to America instead, although he later changed his mind when he saw the effect of slavery on blacks. Largely due to his efforts in 1542, New Laws were passed to protect the Indians in the colonies.

Las Casas also wrote the monumental History of the Indies (Spanish: Historia de las Indias) and was the editor of Christopher Columbus's published ship's log. He played a significant role, during his repeated trips to Spain, in the temporary abolition of the "encomienda" rules that established de facto slave labor in Spanish America. Las Casas returned to Spain and in time was able to raise a great dispute in 1550 in Valladolid between Las Casas and a supporter of the colonialists, Juan Gines de Sepulveda (Juan Gines de Sepulveda). Although the encomienda system prevailed, defended by the Spanish colonial classes who enjoyed its fruits, the writings of Las Casas were translated and republished throughout Europe. His published reports are the central documents in the "Black Book" (Black Legend) of the atrocities of the Spanish colonialists.

The conquest of the Indies (as the Spaniards called South and Central America) is portrayed by reactionary Spanish historians as a great civilizing mission. However, the testimonies of participants and eyewitnesses of the conquest that have come down to us decisively refute this legend. A special place among such evidence is occupied by the book of Bartolome de Las Casas (1474-1566) "History of the Indies".

Based on what he saw and experienced, the humanist writer Las Casas shows that the conquest of the Indies was a series of aggressive wars, accompanied by the mass extermination of the indigenous population - the Indians and the predatory plunder of the natural resources of Latin America. Imbued with sincere sympathy for the Indians, the book of Las Casas also contains a detailed description of their way of life, customs and culture.

The book of Las Casas is very large in volume, and it is not possible to publish it in full. In this regard, the compilers have selected for this edition only those books and chapters of the "History of the Indies", in which the author sets out the events directly related to the conquest of Central and South America.

That is why the entire first book, devoted to the prehistory and history of the conquest of the New World, has been omitted. Although this book is of great interest, since its author is one of the most informed historians of the discovery of America, unlike subsequent books, the narrative in the first is based not on personal observations, but on literary sources and archival materials. In addition, the history of the discovery of America is an independent problem, and readers interested in this issue have the opportunity to get acquainted with fragments of the first book of the "History of the Indies" in a special edition (Travels of Christopher Columbus. Diaries. Letters. Documents. Ed. 4th. M ., 1961, pp. 304–341, 397–425).

In the second and third books, those chapters are omitted, which contain data on the stay of Las Casas at the Spanish court, extensive historical excursions, etc.

The translation of the History of the Indies, carried out for the first time in such a volume, was carried out by: D. P. Pritzker (book II); A. M. Koss (book III, chapters 3-25, 109-167); Z. I. Plavskin (book III, chapters 26–67); R. A. Sauber (Book III, chapters 68–108).

Notes prepared by Z. I. Plavskin and D. P. Pritzker. Pointers - Z. I. Plavskin.

V. L. Afanasiev

Bartolome de Las Casas and his time

Frontiers of big historical eras there are always periods of unusually accelerated, intensive development of society - periods when all spheres of human existence and consciousness are subjected to a grandiose breakdown, when violent revolutionary shifts, widely unfolding in space, turn out to be maximally compressed in time, when all the contradictions of reality reach unprecedented sharpness and strength, refracting in the destinies of classes and states, entire peoples and individuals. Only rarely do such milestones of epochs coincide with the boundaries of centuries. So it was on the verge of the 15th and 16th centuries, for several decades, which turned out to be a turning point between the Middle Ages and modern times.

The capitalist mode of production, born within the narrow framework of the outgoing system, gave birth to two classes - the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, antagonists even more irreconcilable than the classes of the old society - the feudal lords and the peasantry. At the same time, the old antagonisms were not supplanted by the new ones, but remained for a long time next to them, extraordinarily complicating the social image of European society.

The new exploiting class brought with it a multifaceted and vibrant culture. Great universal values ​​were created, science and practice moved forward by leaps and bounds; it seemed that unprecedented horizons were opening before the entire population of the planet.

But the refined culture of the Renaissance coexisted with serf bondage, semi-slavery and real slavery of tens of millions of people, and many grandiose enterprises of that time, pushing the boundaries of human knowledge, were often carried out by the most barbaric methods and were accompanied by bloody extermination wars.

This contradiction was especially clearly manifested in that most important and integral (and in a number of respects - defining) side of the multifaceted reality of the Renaissance, which is called the Great geographical discoveries. The epithet “Great” is fully deserved by them: as a result of this amazing in its courage, speed and scope of the collective feat, the world “immediately became almost ten times larger. And along with the ancient barriers that limited a person to the boundaries of his homeland, the thousand-year-old framework of the traditional medieval way of thinking also fell. But this world, which grew up before the eyes of one generation, turned out to be a world of robbery, enslavement and extermination of entire peoples unprecedented in its scale. Along with the heroism, the dawn of modern times has absorbed the ominous colors of old and new forms of violence.

The tragedy of the era was that, simultaneously with the knowledge of the universe and the unification of the disparate branches of mankind - the greatest triumph of reason, the strongest impetus for a new upsurge in science - the disgusting companion of the emerging capitalist system, colonialism, entered the arena of history.

“... It was that“ unknown god ”who ascended the altar along with the old deities of Europe and one fine day threw them all out in one fell swoop. The colonial system proclaimed profit as the last and only goal of mankind”, its appearance meant that “capitalist production ... entered the stage of preparation for world domination”.

The initiators of the great sea expeditions, which so quickly led to a revolutionary upheaval in the economy of Europe and in the views of Europeans on the face of the planet, were Spain and Portugal, whose role in world history had been relatively modest until then. It so happened that precisely these countries, whose peoples had just shown amazing, admirable perseverance and courage in a long struggle against foreign - Arab - conquerors, now acted as the instigators of colonial robbery.

And now Spain, the country that began the knowledge of the Western Hemisphere and at the same time earned itself the most shameful fame of the ancestor of the most inhuman forms of colonialism, gave (among a whole galaxy of rather ordinary chroniclers) perhaps the most peculiar historian of its time. He turned out to be one of the few chroniclers of that era who brought to us the harsh and unvarnished truth about the monstrous reality of the first decades of colonial expansion. In an era of unprecedented revelry of the basest passions, he managed to rise above the prejudices of his class and in his own way, in a form determined by the peculiarities of his era and worldview, raise his voice in defense of the first victims of colonialism, in defense of the oppressed and destitute.

This historian was Bartolome de Las Casas. He was born five years before the unification of Castile and Aragon, an event that immediately promoted Spain to the ranks of European powers of the first rank, and died ninety-two years later, when the Spanish colonial empire had already been created and the first signs of its future collapse were revealed.

Bartolome de Las Casas (1474–1566).

Engraving by José López Enkidanos.