"[The Spaniards] took babies from their mothers' breasts, grabbing them by the feet and smashing their heads against rocks. ... They built a long gibbet, low enough for the toes to touch the ground and prevent strangling, and hanged thirteen [natives] at a time in honor of Christ Our Savior and the twelve Apostles. ...Then, straw was wrapped around their torn bodies and they were burned alive."
In what ways did this account help to create the image of teh Spaniards as "cruel and murderous fanatics?" What motives may have prompted Las Casas to make this critique and how might his opinions affect the broader standing of Spain in global politics of the era? Did his criticisms of early Spanish rule have any impact? If so, what? (p. 390)
1 comment:
I belive this pasage clearly shows how mutch opf savages the spanish were. Like how they just grab babies and smash them into rocks. There is no reason to do this. It equals on the scale of the holocost. yet they felt it was justified because it was in the name of the lord. withc other empires still do in their "crusades" agast onther nations
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