Destruction of the Indies

Destruction of the Indies contains an account, written by Bartolome De Las Casas, of the Spanish conquer of the Indian natives in the Indies. During this tyranny, the Spaniards have no regard to native life because of their greed and ignorance. Also, the Spaniards have agreements with the kings of various Indie lands that they break, because of their sole self interest. Finally, it is a very interesting question, as to why Las Casas wrote this letter to Emperor Charles, instead of saying something to the head Spanish tyrants in the Indies. Destruction of the Indies shows how brutal and backstabbing the Spaniards were while taking over the natives' lands, while nobody opposed it.

There were many places in the Indies where the Spanish were inconsiderate, to say the least, of Indian life. When the Spanish invaded Hispaniola, the solo cause for the murders of the natives was greed, and they wanted to stuff themselves with riches. The tyrants burned the Indians alive and did not spare anyone including children, women, or elderly. Also in Hispaniola, the Spaniards made a rule that for every one Christian that was killed, they would slay one hundred Indians. This was pure brutality and ignorance for the natives' lives. In New Spain I and II, the basic idea of the Spanish was "to wreak cruel and most singular slaughter, so that those meek lambs might tremble before [the Spaniards]" (pg. 30). The Spaniards even sang songs about killing the Indians and the misery they caused them.  Lastyl, in Panuco and Jalisco the cruel tyrant, Guzman, took the natives and sold them as slaves, while wasting the lands and leaving them depopulated. This was ignorant because now the land was unable to be used and there was no natives left to live where they once prospered. Guzman used the excuse that he gave thanks to God for his tyrannies, so they were justified. The Spanish had no consideration for any native life when they were conquering the lands.


When the Spaniards came to new lands, sometimes they would establish agreements with the native King, in exchange for land use and riches. In Hispaniola, the Indians provided the Christians with food and worked hard to produce for them, but the Christians had no remorse for the natives, sparing none. The Indians treated the foreigners with respect, but did not receive the same in the slightest bit. When the Spaniards invaded Trinidad, they issued an agreement and trust with the Indians. However, the Spanish broke the agreement and took the natives as slaves. Lastly, in Peru the natives and Spaniards lived peacefully together for six months, but the Spanish turned on the Indians and made them slaves, leaving the island almost without people. The Spaniards broke promises with the natives and took advantage of them.

Las Casas wrote the letter to Emperor Charles to inform him of what was going on in the New World, and to try and stop it. However, it would have taken a while for the emperor to receive the letter. Las Casas could have stood up against the brutality in a different way, but chose not to. One reason why is because he knew Charles wouldn't approve of the acts, where the tyrants that were with him did not care. Also, Las Casas could have been afraid of being killed by the leaders, because they didn't want opposition in their own group. Lastly, Las Casas could have enjoyed the riches that were gained by the Spaniards without killing anyone himself. Sending a letter to Emperor Charles was the safest thing to do, but not the most effective.

The account of the Destruction of the Indies shows how ignorant and brutal the Spaniards really were. They based their tyrannies on greed and riches. The people of the Indies were happy to establish agreements and trust, but the Spaniards backstabbed them and took all of the land, while killing the natives. Las Casas could have done more, but would have risked his life and fortune in the process. The Spaniards were selfish people and took control of the Indies, letting nobody or any beliefs getting in their way.