MMW 13 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Valladolid Debate, Exaggeration, Tonantzin
19 May 2018
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Outline Lecture Thirteen—Economic Exploitation of the Americas
Key Focus:
1) Conflict between the missionary impulse and the economic incentive
behind the Spanish colonial experience in the Americas
2) Cultural and social repercussions of both goals
I) Global Christendom or Silver Bullion?
a) Religious Conversion vs. Economic Exploitation
i) Opposing rationale for each goal
- Global christianity vs profiting from colonies
- Overwhelming amount of conversions during the 300 years of Spanish
colonial rule
- Tremendous wealth flowed out of the Americas
- Rationale for each goal was fundamentally contradictory to the other
(conversion of natives and economic exploitation - they could never
reach a common ground)
b) Missionary Rationale for Conversion
i) 1st Rationale: Early Spanish missionaries argued native American
peoples had “souls”
- Encomenderos: colonial officials
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Early spanish missionaries → in favor of conversion
- Taino, for example, aztecs, incas, they had “souls”
- Because of this, they could and should be converted and
civilized
- Spanish missionaries had different explanation about Africans
- Africans lacked souls - subhumans, therefore they did not
need to be/should be converted
- Self-serving racism
(1) Valladolid Debate 1550
- Spanish court - dealing with these two sides of missionary
arguments
(2) Church preferred to see them as “noble savages”
-
One argument: natives are barbarians, therefore are subject to
enslavement → did not want to convert enslaved
(3) In contrast to Aristotelian racist theories about Africans
(a) Why racial stigma and double-standard placed on Africans
was convenient
-
Self-serving because based on Treaty of Tordesillas, Portugal
had some territory of Africa → spanish had no access to them
anyway, so no justification for converting Africans
- Aristotelian theories of Africans, very hypocritical of
Spanish
ii) 2nd Rationale: Duty to protect native Americans as subjects of the king
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
(1) Royal charters and sanctions from Sevilla to set up missions
- Spanish crown had a duty to protect native americans because
they were the new subjects of the king
- Many royal charters given to establish missionaries to
protect the survivors among the native population
c) Champion of this cause: De Las Casas (1474-1566)
- Critical voice in argument for conversion and protecting natives
- Came as one of the conquistadors, on third expedition to caribbean
with columbus
i) Personal background
(1) Inspired by arguments of Fray Antonio de Montesinos
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Fray → priest
- He was enlightened, freed his slaves and became ordained as
a monk in the dominican order
(2) In mid-1500s, published his Short Account of the Destruction of
the Indies
- Most influential take on the spanish colonial atrocities in the
americas
-
Inhumanity of the spanish conquistadors → trying to win over
public opinion back in Spain, and to influence the court to
change policies
ii) Basis of what would become known as “The Black Legend”
-
British got a hold of these colonial stories → propagated these stories
of spanish atrocities
- Self-serving for british
- Spanish known as the black legend due to their treatment of natives
as they conquered places
-
A lot of art came out of these stories of the black legend → picture
depicting king on fire to get gold/wealth from these places
- E.g cutting off limbs, smashing babies onto rocks, hanging
victims, etc.
iii) Altruism or self-serving agenda behind the missionary rationale?
(1) Exaggerate native eagerness to embrace the gospel
(2) Half-hearted or perfunctory conversion attempts by conquistadores
- Even though the king charged the conquistadors, primary motive
should be to convert the natives
-
Usually did it in a perfunctory way → never had it in their heart to really
convert these natives *just routine*
- Just went through the motions, when in reality, they wanted to
pillage the villages
(3) What was the greater motivation for the missionaries?
- Extension of crusade
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Overwhelming amount of conversions during the 300 years of spanish colonial rule. Tremendous wealth flowed out of the americas. Early spanish missionaries in favor of conversion. Taino, for example, aztecs, incas, they had souls . Because of this, they could and should be converted and civilized. Spanish missionaries had different explanation about africans. Africans lacked souls - subhumans, therefore they did not need to be/should be converted. Spanish court - dealing with these two sides of missionary arguments (2) church preferred to see them as noble savages . One argument: natives are barbarians, therefore are subject to enslavement did not want to convert enslaved (3) in contrast to aristotelian racist theories about africans (a) why racial stigma and double-standard placed on africans was convenient. Self-serving because based on treaty of tordesillas, portugal had some territory of africa spanish had no access to them anyway, so no justification for converting africans. Aristotelian theories of africans, very hypocritical of.
