A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies
Also known as: Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias · Brevisima relacion de la destruccion de las Indias · The devastation of the Indies
- 1Written in 1542 by Bartolomé de las Casas.
- 2Addressed to Philip II of Spain.
- 3Details atrocities against Indigenous peoples.
- 4Serves as a critique of colonial practices.
- 5Focuses on the destruction of native populations.
A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies is an account written by the Spanish Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas in 1542 about the mistreatment of and atrocities committed against the Indigenous peoples of the Americas in colonial times and sent to then prince Philip II of Spain.
Connections1
seminal work documenting colonial atrocities
This influential 1542 pamphlet provided a graphic account of the abuses committed by Spanish colonizers, which helped shape the 'Black Legend' of Spanish colonial history.
A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies is a seminal historical text written in 1542 by the Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas. The work serves as a harrowing chronicle of the atrocities and systemic mistreatment inflicted upon the Indigenous peoples of the Americas by European colonizers.
Portada del Istoria, ò, Breuissima Relatione della distruttione dell'Indie Occidentali . Publicado en Venecia en 1643 por Bartolomé de las Casas .Wikimedia Commons; Bartolomé de las Casas; Istoria, ò, Breuissima Relatione della distruttione dell'Indie Occidentali / di ... Don Bartolomeo dalle Case. Venetia: presso Marco Ginammi; 1643.; Public domain; Wikimedia Commons: Category:Brevísima relación de la...Portada de "Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias" (1552) Bartolomé de las CasasWikimedia Commons; Jaontiveros; Own work; CC BY-SA 4.0; Wikimedia Commons: Category:Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las IndiasCover of "A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies". Published in Seville in 1552 by Bartolomé de las Casas (original version in Spanish).Wikimedia Commons; Bartolomé de las Casas; John Carter Brown Library; Public domain; Wikimedia Commons; Wikidata P18 (image) Originally composed as a report to inform the Spanish monarchy, the document was addressed to the then-prince Philip II of Spain. It remains a critical primary source for understanding the moral and humanitarian crises that emerged during the early decades of the colonial era.