Bartolomé de las Casas' "A Short Accounting of the Destruction of the Indies"

This text is a brief detailing of some of the brutalities committed against the native peoples which took place during the conquest, or "colonisation" of the Americas by the Spanish.  It was written in 1542 by Bartolomé de las Casas, a Spanish Dominican friar who wrote it to advise Prince Philip II of Spain of the atrocities committed in his name, the name of Spain, and the name of the church.

A more accurate translation to the Spanish title of the piece "Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias" would be "Briefly relating the destruction of the Indies", however, the given translation "A Short Accounting of the Destruction of the Indies", better captures the commercial spirit of the violence, which is often rooted in the dominance of slavers and the pursuit and lust for gold. The "Destruction of the Indies" aspect of the title remains intact, and reflects the author's perspective - the Indies are not "claimed", "colonised", or "saved" - they are utterly destroyed.

It's a strange text.  It's graphic and detailed, yet the author clearly attempts to adopt a dispassionate tone.  The text is broken up into chapters by territory invaded, showing the uniformly inhumane and vicious approach of the Spanish armies against the defenseless and "primitive" natives.  The accounts are terribly repetitive, which, instead of having the effect of desensitising the reader, makes it an emotionally challenging read.  The blunt narration of the events invoke a sense of dread as the reader is aware that each future page holds more of the same: cruel, and meticulous abuses of men, women and children of the "New World".

Works Cited:
de las Casas, Bartolomé. A Short Accounting of the Destruction of the Indies. Trans. Nancy Griffin. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.