ABSTRACT
Bartolomé de Las Casas, the Dominican theologian and protector of the Indians in the early Spanish colonies, did not hold back in his In Defense of the Indians (1548-1550). He responded to those who called the Indians vile and barbaric, a lesser form of humans who by natural law should fall under the protective mantle of Spanish civilization. According to this reasoning, Spaniards could force them to convert, and to perform the many tasks that the new colonial economy demanded of them. Las Casas said no. Convert them by peaceful means, by following the example of Christ and the apostles. In this way the true message of Christ could demonstrate its beauty and power.
