Heathen Christs: Bartolome de las Casas' Representation of the Americas
What caught my attention in the reading from Las Casas was his portrayal of the conquistadores as "devils" - linking their cruel behaviour to their failure as Christians - and of the native peoples as Christ-figures - "gentle lambs" who suffer as innocent victims. Considering his audience, this representation serves to legitimize the suffering of the native people, and further condemn the evils wrought by the Spanish within this religious context. With this representation of the native people as christlike innocents, Las Casas goes beyond the typical noble savage stereotype to include a statement on the unjust and cruel behaviour of the Spanish. Through this device, Las Casas reinforces the evil done by the Spanish occurs because the metaphor applies to both the native people and to the Spanish. Whereas utilizing the stereotype of the noble savage would potentially create sympathy for the Natives but do nothing to directly condemn the Spanish, Las Casas representation of the Natives as Christ-figures simultaneously shows their innate goodness and innocence and reveals the inhuman cruelty and evil of the Spanish. His language in this respect is very loaded; he refers to the natives as "gentle lambs" and the spanish as "ravening wolves" or "tigers and savage lions" (11). The lamb is associated with Christ, while the devil has been represented in literature as a wolf or a tiger. He also speaks of the "natural goodness that shines through these people", where both light and goodness are linked to the divine (10).
Additionally, Las Casas outlines the specific sins of the Spanish; beyond their crimes against human law, they also commit religious crimes, specifically the sin of avarice (one of the seven deadly sins). In one account, he claims that the Spanish greed has gotten so out of control that they worship gold as a god. The implication behind this story being that the conquistadores have reverted to a heathen state and have begun to worship false idols. It is this greed that makes the Spanish into devils, and distinguishes them from the Natives, who "have no urge to acquire material possessions" (10).
Works Cited
Las Casas, Bartolome de. A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies. Trans. Nigel Griffin. London: Penguin, 1992.
tag: last301
Additionally, Las Casas outlines the specific sins of the Spanish; beyond their crimes against human law, they also commit religious crimes, specifically the sin of avarice (one of the seven deadly sins). In one account, he claims that the Spanish greed has gotten so out of control that they worship gold as a god. The implication behind this story being that the conquistadores have reverted to a heathen state and have begun to worship false idols. It is this greed that makes the Spanish into devils, and distinguishes them from the Natives, who "have no urge to acquire material possessions" (10).
Works Cited
Las Casas, Bartolome de. A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies. Trans. Nigel Griffin. London: Penguin, 1992.
tag: last301
posted by Peggy | 4:22 PM
2 Comments:
Yes - I thought he exact same thing when reading his comments about Christianity being the only thing keeping them from being seemingly perfect, and from his stereotypical descriptions of the natives. It would have been very clever of him indeed to play on this in order to make sympathizers. Much of the same tactic as De Gouge.
Hi Peggy,
I found your interpretation really interesting. You’re right, he doesn’t just describe the indigenous people with the typical idealized characteristics of the noble savage, but ties them into a religious context that all Europeans would be familiar with. The conquistadors were so despicable because like wild beasts and devils, they were preying on the meek lambs of God, children who were bright and innocent pupils ready to learn God’s word. Las Casas uses various arguments (humanitarian, legal, economic) to condemn the conquest, but I think that the religious one (that so many souls would go to Hell and that Christianity was being used to justify slaughter) concerns him the most. This type of rhetoric helps him to make that argument.
Serena
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