Virtues of the Indian/Virtudes del indio

by Bishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza

2009 · Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

This important book is the first complete seventeenth-century treatise on Native Americans to be introduced, annotated, and translated into English. Presented in a parallel text translation, it brings the work of the controversial and powerful Bishop Juan de Palafox to non-Spanish speakers for the first time. A seminal document in the history of colonial Mexico and imperial Spain, Virtues of the Indian tells us as much about the Mexican natives as about the ideas, images, and representations upon which the Spanish Empire in America was built. Taken as a whole, this book will raise questions about the Spanish empire and the governance of New Spain's Indians. Even more significantly, it will complicate the prevailing view of Spanish imperialism and colonial society as one dominated by a unified and coherent ruling elite with common goals. The deeply-informed introduction, biographical essay, and annotations that accompany this vivid translation further explore the thoughts and actions of the dynamic and complex Palafox, contributing to a better knowledge of a key figure in the history of Spanish colonialism in the New World.

Sepúlveda on the Spanish Invasion of the Americas

by Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda, Bartolomé de las Casas

2023 · Oxford University Press

This volume presents the first full English translation of four key texts from the dispute between Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda and Bartolomé de las Casas regarding the justice of Spain's invasion of the Americas, culminating in their famous debate in Valladolid in 1550-51. An impassioned defence of the invasion, Sepúlveda's Democrates secundus (composed around 1544) amplified the controversy within Spain about the justice of its activities in the Americas. When Las Casas schemed to block publication of Sepúlveda's manuscript, Sepúlveda wrote an Apologia (1550) in its defence. Tensions were so high that Emperor Charles V called a temporary halt to undertakings in the Americas and convoked a meeting of theologians and jurists in Valladolid to address the matter. Here, Sepúlveda and Las Casas debated bitterly. Las Casas subsequently printed a composite record of the Valladolid deliberations (Aquí se contiene una disputa o controversia, 1552). Sepúlveda retaliated by penning a furious response (Proposiciones temerarias y de mala doctrina, around 1553-54) and strove to have Las Casas' text banned by the Inquisition. The debate between Sepúlveda and Las Casas was a pivotal moment in the history of international legal thought. They argued over fundamental matters of empire and colonial rule; natural law and cultural difference; the jurisdiction of the Church, responsibilities of Christian rulers, and rights of infidel peoples; the just reasons for war and grounds for resistance; and the right to punish idolatry, protect innocents from tyranny, and subjugate unbelievers for the purpose of spreading the Christian faith. With a detailed scholarly introduction that elucidates the complex story of these four controversial texts and reflects on the impacts of Sepúlveda's ideas, which continue to be felt in the theories and practices of war today, this book is a must-read for all those interested in the fields of history, political science, international relations, and colonial studies.