From 1492 up until the 1800’s, Spain steadily gained control over the majority of the Western Hemisphere and claimed these territories to be integral entities under its domain- what would otherwise be known as New Spain. Although Spain’s initial intent in setting sail was to find a faster trade route to Asia, it eventually grew a desire to seek active conquest of the Americas. Two dominant rationales behind the Spaniards’ conquest exist: one, the proselytism of the native Americans to Catholicism- the active attempt to induce these peoples to convert to their faith, and two, a means to carry out economic exploitation. Although contemporary historians speculate that the former cause may have been the Spanish Crown’s mere coverup for the more honest latter cause, the Spaniards’ justification for conquest cannot be reduced to the insatiable greed of a select number of the Spanish population, namely the Crown and conquistadors. Not only is it cynical to make baseless assumptions on the innermost motivations of all Spaniards, but it is also unfair to dismiss the efforts of Spanish missionaries at the time, which can be witnessed in the testament of Bartolome de las Casas, missionaries’ appeals to the Crown for legal protection on behalf of the natives, and their attempts to provide refuge for the natives from conscript labor.
If there is any hint of suspicion in the sincerity of Spanish missionaries in their religious beliefs and their devotion to their faith, one can look to Bartolome de las Casas (1484-1566) to abolish such doubts. To provide context, de las Casas himself had been one of the first conquistadors in New Spain, meaning that he was one of the first Spaniards to take part in taking control over the natives’ lands and using them as slaves. However, inspired by the arguments of Fray Antonio de Montesinos, de las Casas eventually came to a realization of the cruelties and injustice he had been practicing, and hence, not only freed his slaves, but also became ordained as a monk in the Dominican order. Subsequently, de las Casas devoted the rest of his life to serving as a lobbyist, denouncing the abuses of the encomienda system. One of the biggest ways de las Casas earnestly attempted to protect the natives was by publishing his Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, which was addressed to Prince Philip- the future king of Spain. The premise of this text is based on the idea that the conquistadors’ unjustified, self-seeking cruelty was what led to the countless deaths of innocent natives, and in it, de las Casas protests the mistreatment of the innocent Indians by the cruel Spanish by painting an analogy: “Yet into this sheepfold, into this land of meek outcasts there came some Spaniards who immediately behaved like ravening wild beasts, wolves, tigers, or lions that had been starved for many days..” (Briffault 29). This Short Account, which is actually quite lengthy, contains deliberate exaggerations as a desperate attempt to stir up compassion, and by doing so, move the Crown to action. One such example of the Spaniards’ horrid cruelty mentioned by de las Casas is the “[grabbing of] suckling infants by the feet..from their mothers’ breasts, [dashing] them headlong against the rocks” (Griffin 14). Through these descriptive accounts of his experiences, one can see the active involvement of Las Casas in advocating for the rights of the native peoples.
Besides this particular case study on de las Casas’ endeavors, the constant struggle of the missionaries in attaining legal protection for the natives can be spotted throughout the entirety of Spanish colonization. To provide context, the conquistadors’ rationale for economic exploitation was based on the need for a labor force in the colonies they set up. In these colonies, the conquistadors would be given encomiendas, or provisional trusteeships, by the Crown which would enable them to use the labor of and accept tribute from the locals as a temporary means to administrate the natives (Liss 49). In the encomienda system, it was the duty of the appointed encomenderos to safeguard the life and property of their subjects. However, in reality, many administrators abused their powers by treating the natives as their personal slaves and overworking them, all the while living lavish lifestyles themselves. Such an example would be the infamous Juan Ponce de Leon, a conquistador who promptly enslaved the natives he encountered for the purposes of mining gold, and led the massacre of Higuey in 1505 (Andrea and Overfield). As a result of such abuses of power, Spanish missionaries appealed to the Crown to abolish encomiendas, arguing that the system was getting out of hand and how it would be safer for the natives to come under their jurisdiction (Briffault 128). Such appeals eventually led to their success with the writing of laws that protected the natives called Leyes de Indias. These laws would forbid the creation of new encomiendas, and by those means, essentially sentence the institution to extinction (Medrano 46). In 1512, the King Ferdinand established the Laws of Burgos which would protect those in the Caribbean by prohibiting punishment by encomenderos, requiring paid salaries for the natives, and other equitable practices (Simpson). Additionally, the system of audiencias was set up in New Spain in which professionally trained lawyers in Spain would be sent overseas to oversee that the encomienda system was running as it was intended to (Worcester 126). The very framework, therefore, that is used to attack the Conquest owes its existence to that very Conquest. Other countries never stop to think of the conquered as anything more than the "other" to be exploited or exterminated. In the case of the Spanish Conquest such actions were contrary to the nation's policy and met with opposition both in America by the missionaries and in the peninsula by the Crown.
The Spanish missionaries truly show proof of their commitment to the natives in their response to the Crown’s setup of the repartimiento system in the New World. The repartimiento was a direct form of economic exploitation in which a seventh of every village’s male population was required to provide four months of conscript labor. At its core, this system was no different than slavery, as it forced the natives to work under the Spaniards without voluntary willingness (Liss 26). Not only that, the repartimiento often brought great danger to the working natives, especially in Peru, where mining was the major form of labor. Not only would mining create potential risks for outward injuries due to the strenuous nature of the job itself, but it would also expose the natives to mercury- which is very toxic and damaging to one’s lungs. As a result of the repartimiento system, attrition rates rose. Be that as it may, the missionaries stepped in once again by providing shelter and refuge for the natives. This would result in the slowing down of mercury excavation- a crucial factor in the refinement of silver, which was especially important because of the Quinto, where twenty percent of the silver produced in the Americas would go the the Spanish Crown. Consequently, the missionaries’ actions would trigger the Spanish Crown to revoke the charters of many local missions and assume jurisdiction over them. On top of that, the missionaries would face persecution as the Crown accused them for heresy in permitting the infiltration of pagan symbols. Notwithstanding, the missionaries’ continuous efforts to protect the natives truly speak to their attitudes towards them and reflect their true motives in colonizing.
Despite the efforts of Spanish missionaries, one may validly argue that such individuals were, however sincere, outnumbered nonetheless by more ambitious conquistadors who committed heinous, inhumane deeds against the natives solely for the sake of their greed for gold and glory- thereby, delegitimizing the work of the missionaries. In other words, observation of actual practice seems to show the lack of validity in religious conversion as justification for conquest when compared to the frequency and extent of the economic exploitation that simultaneously took place. An examination of some of the leading figures of the Spanish conquest of the Americas demonstrate the cornerstone of this counterargument. For instance, Hernan Cortes exemplified merciless violence when he murdered well over a thousand unarmed nobles of the Aztec empire in 1520 (Cortes 19-20). Another unforgettable conquistador by the name of Nuño de Guzmán expressed similar brutality towards the natives as he branded slaves in the face just as a means to torture them. All in the pursuit of, again, gold.
One could, of course, bring yet another list of people who, in the course of the 300-year conquest, committed crimes and abused their positions of power. However, the argument does not hinge upon every Spaniard being of noble character and acting according to the law. If it were the case that there were no abuses, there obviously would have been no need to have written laws for the protection and benefit of a conquered people in history. What the argument hinges on is this protection and interest for the material and spiritual well-being of the natives being the general theme of the conquest, which appears to be amply demonstrated by the efforts of the Spanish missionaries.
Even so, one may question why proselytization is any more appropriate in justifying conquest than economic exploitation when it also results in the stripping away of one’s rights and property. Viewing the issue in today’s terms through the imposition of one’s moral code over another country’s, forced religious conversion is subjectively viewed as a “bad” thing. However, one must first understand Spain’s point of view and motivations without transferring his value system to a completely different historical context. In Spain’s case at the time, evangelism was considered an immeasurable benefit rather than a burdensome infliction. Furthermore, it was precisely the missionaries who were serving as defenders of the natives’ rights.
In conclusion, it was necessary for the Spanish Crown to justify and legitimize the conquest of the Americas because every colonial country needs an idea to base its conquest. In order to do that, that is, defend what may be misinterpreted, the Spaniards employed religion and economic gain as two of its primary drives for conquest. Evidently, abuses of power by the conquistadors were, at times, large and extended, but they were always contrary to Spanish law and policy, and were invariably met with objections, resistance and official condemnation. Further, the care and interest for the good of the natives was the general and mainstream position assumed by the missionaries. Therefore, though it would be difficult to make a claim on whether religion or greed played the most important role in Spanish