Bartolomé de las Casas and the Conquest of the Americas

This is a short history of the age of exploration and the conquest of the Americas told through the experience of Bartolomé de las Casas, a Dominican friar who fervently defended the American Indians, and the single most important figure of the period after Columbus.

• Explores the period known as the Encounter, which was characterized by intensive conflict between Europeans and the people of the Americas following Columbus’s voyages

• Argues that Las Casas, ‘protector of Indians,' was primarily motivated by Scripture in his crusade for justice and equality for American Indians

• Draws on the 14 volume Complete Works of Las Casas as a window into his mind and actions

• Encourages students to understand history through the viewpoint of individuals living it
  

Keywords: Spanish conquest, Spanish empire, conquest of Mexico, conquest of Peru, the encounter, Columbus, Cortez, Aztec