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Heraldo de la lucha por los derechos del hombre y defensor incansable de la causa de los indios en América Latina, la figura de Bartolomé de las Casas sigue siendo, al tiempo, objeto de las más exacerbadas críticas y ensalzado como ‘protector universal' de los indios. Hasta el momento, la tenacidad y la devoción que marcan el compromiso de Las Casas han empujado a sus biógrafos hasta la hagiografía. No así el trabajo de Lavellé que, atento a las dinámicas y a la mentalidad de la época, sitúa a Las Casas en su contexto histórico. Este es, el de un Nuevo Mundo en el que las luchas de poder de España se ven reflejadas en América emergente, anterior a la conquista de los grandes imperios, construida sobre los cimientos del modelo colonizador vigente y en la que toda idea utopista de colonización y evangelización pacífica acaba fracasando.
The Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas (1485-1566) was a prominent chronicler of the early Spanish conquest of the Americas, a noted protector of the American Indians, and arguably the most significant figure in the early Spanish Empire after Christopher Columbus. Following an epiphany in 1514, Las Casas fought the Spanish control of the Indies for the rest of his life, writing vividly about the brutality of the Spanish conquistadors. Once a settler and exploiter of the American Indians, he became their defender, breaking ground for the modern human rights movement. Las Casas brought his understanding of Christian scripture to the forefront in his defense of the Indians, challenging the premise that the Indians of the New World were any less civilized or capable of practicing Christianity than Europeans. Bartolomé de las Casas: A Biography is the first major English-language and scholarly biography of Las Casas' life in a generation.
Bartolomé de las Casas spent 50 years of his life actively fighting slavery and the violent colonial abuse of indigenous peoples, especially by trying to convince the Spanish court to adopt a more humane policy of colonization. And although he failed to save the indigenous peoples of the Western Indies, his efforts resulted in several improvements in the legal status of the natives, and in an increased colonial focus on the ethics of colonialism. Las Casas is often seen as one of the first advocates for universal Human Rights. he was also appointed as Bishop of Chiapas, a newly established diocese of which he took possession in 1545 upon his return to the New World. He was consecrated in th...
A Spanish friar documents the brutal treatment of Caribbean natives at the hands of colonial authorities in the sixteenth century. After traveling to the New World, Dominican friar Bartolomé de Las Casas witnessed conquistadors wreak unimaginable horrors upon the Indigenous people of the Caribbean. He later dedicated his life to fighting for their protection. Following numerous failed attempts to reason with authorities in Spain, he chose to document everything he had seen over a span of fifty years and to give it to Spain’s Prince Philip II. In A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, Las Casas catalogues the atrocities he observed the Spanish colonial authorities inflict upon the native people. He discusses the brutal torture, mass genocide, and enslavement. He passionately pleas for an end to this treatment and for the native peoples to be given basic human rights.
"Bartolome de las Casas (1484-1566) came to the New World in pursuit of material wealth, became virtually a slave owner, and ended up suddenly and dramatically turning his life around to become a Dominican friar and the first great champion of the Native Americans. Daring to challenge the Spanish encontienda system, which was little more than a justification of forced labor, Las Casas, in the spirit of the great Hebrew Prophets, spoke out unequivocally for justice and freedom for oppressed peoples. His The Only Way, which argued that the native peoples of the Americas are fully human, can rightly be called one of the seminal documents of American Catholic social justice." "In this biography,...
Bartolomé de Las Casas fue uno de los compañeros de Colón en su segundo viaje a América. Atravesó el océano para ocuparse de los intereses adquiridos por su familia en las Indias Occidentales. En 1510, sacudido por la predicación de un dominico, Las Casas renuncia a las posesiones y a los indígenas que dependían de él, se hace sacerdote y defensor de los oprimidos y maltratados, y será llamado más tarde el apóstol de los indios. Esta novela es una narración nueva y sugestiva de un momento particular de la vida de Las Casas: no tanto su labor entre los indios sino su problemático y atormentado retorno a España para someterse, ante la presencia del emperador, a una especie de disputa-proceso en el que fueron puestos bajo acusación sus criterios de apóstol en tierra de conquista. Una obra original en la que el drama personal se entrelaza con los grandes temas históricos de la fe y del poder político.
Bartolomé de Las Casas is one of the most controversial figures in the Spanish colonization of America. For some, because of his defense of the natives, he is the apostle to the Indians; for others, because of his denunciation of the excesses of the conquest, he is responsible for the Black Legend that has tarnished Spain for centuries. This novel by the award-winning Spanish author José Luis Olaizola tells the epic story of this singular man. Using the voice of Las Casas, Olaizola describes the various periods of his life: his boyhood in Seville, his hunt for gold in Hispaniola, and his complacent years as a rich cleric and landowner in Cuba. After turning to Christ for mercy, Father Las Casas relinquishes his wealth and devotes himself to defending the dignity of all men. Olaizola vividly depicts the colorful, contrasting characteristics of the sixteenth century. He shows how fervent greed and passionate faith brought both colossal injustice and heroic holiness to the West Indies. He makes the conquistadores, friars, courtiers, and kings of the age into a striking mosaic within the frame of historical events.