Text Analysis: Destruction of the Indies

Destruction of the Indies

“The Destruction of the Indies” is a personal account in a form of a letter by Bartoleme de Las Casas. Las Casa was a colonist, who traveled to the Indies as a soldier then as an encomendero. After witnessing the inhumane treatment of the Indians, he became an activist and advocate for the rights of the native people. He also became an ordained priest, a platform he used to preach against the injustice in the New World and change the ways of the Christian Spaniards. 

In the “The Destruction of the Indies,” he argues about the significant negative impact of Europeans presence in the Indies. Since the arrival of the Spaniards, the once populated islands of the Indies were desolate and deserted. The Indians were tortured, raped, burned, hanged, and slaughtered. He argues that at least twelve million native men, women, and children have been killed since the settlement of the Spaniards in the Indies. The native Indians civilization was lost and their wealth plundered. He argues that this has been going on for forty years but nothing has been done to stop or change the colonist ways. He argues that the Indians were the kindest and humblest people on earth, who did not deserve to be mistreated or killed in such ways.

Las Casas gives a very detailed account of the acts committed by the Spaniards against the helpless and innocent Indians. He uses descriptive language to plead his case and appeal to his audience that there must be a change in the ways of colonists. He paints a vivid image of the crimes committed against the Indians. Phrase such as “dismembering them but cutting to pieces as if dealing with sheep in the slaughter house” is an example of his use of emotional language. “They took infants from their mother’s breasts, snatching them by the arm and threw them into the rivers,” is another example of his use of graphic language to appeal to pathos. The text is full of gruesome images, which is hard to read at times.

This document is historically significant because it is an eyewitness account of the first interaction between the Europeans and the native Indians. It paints the full effect and extent of colonialism in the sixteenth century, which was to kill and conquer by any means in order to gain wealth. A civilization was lost over a short period and there are no real documents about the history and culture of the Indians. The killing and torturing was happening for forty years but the Europeans were still in denial about it. Through their actions, the Spaniards send the message to the rest of the world that native people were worthless and inferior people. Other Europeans were able to exploit Indians because of this message.

I think the author’s argument is convincing for many reasons. For one, he had nothing to gain by defending the Indians, who were helpless and powerless. He had everything to lose by standing against the colonists, who were ruthless and merciless. But he chose to speak against the injustice because of his religious belief, which he mentions many times as being a “Christian.” He also goes into great length to describe the Indians as being the good natured people on earth, which shows he genuinely loved and honored them and did not want to see them suffer for no reason.