A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies

“Everything that has happened since the marvelous discovery of the Americas—from the short-lived initial attempts of the Spanish to settle there, right down to the present day—has been so extraordinary that the whole story remains quite incredible to anyone who has not experienced it at first hand. It seems, indeed, to overshadow all the deeds of famous men of the past, no matter how heroic, and to silence all talk of other wonders of the world. Prominent amid the aspects of this story which have caught the imagination are the massacres of innocent peoples, the atrocities committed against them and, among other horrific excesses, the ways in which towns, provinces, and 

This passage initiates the Synopsis of A Short Account. In giving his reader a clear picture of what the rest of the text will look like, Las Casas presents a tragedy. Initially, he presents the discovery of the Americas as “marvelous,” and he will repeatedly represent the land as a miraculous, paradisiacal place. This marvel, however, quickly turns from joy to sorrow, as the paramount incredible event associated with this discovery is the devastation of an entire civilization. Las Casas here primes his reader for a harrowing account while also arguing for the necessity of his text.

“As Divine Providence has ordained that the world shall, for the benefit and proper government of the human race, be divided into kingdoms and peoples and that these shall be ruled by kings, who are (as Homer has it) fathers and shepherds to their people and are, accordingly, the noblest and most virtuous of beings, there is no doubt, nor could there in all reason be any such doubt, but that these kings entertain nothing save that which is morally unimpeachable. It follows that if the commonwealth suffers from some defect, or shortcoming, or evil, the reason can only be that the ruler is unaware of it; once the matter is brought to his notice, he will work with the utmost diligence to set matters right and will not rest content until the evil has been eradicated.” 

A Short Account was written for Charles V of Spain, appealing to the pathos of the Holy Roman Emperor to put a stop to colonial atrocities. In this passage Las Casas both honors his emperor and excuses him from the vitriolic accusations he later throws at any and all Spaniards involved in the colonial project. Las Casas explicitly assumes—while of course knowing otherwise—that Charles V is simply oblivious to these atrocities, therefore necessitating the text that Las Casas humbly presents. Casting the king as a pious and caring shepherd of his people, Las Casas encourages him to behave as such while also reminding him of his obligation to uphold the teachings of the Christian tradition that empowers him.