El inicio de la lucha por los derechos de los indígenas del nuevo mundouna reinterpretación política

  1. István Szászdi León-Borja
Journal:
Revista Derecho Público Iberoamericano

ISSN: 0719-2959

Year of publication: 2012

Issue: 1

Pages: 125-156

Type: Article

More publications in: Revista Derecho Público Iberoamericano

Abstract

The present research tries to explain the motives that led to the initiation of the struggle for the rights of American Indians. Because of economic as well as legal reasons the King and the Queen of Spain tried to stop the genocide of the natives, introducing the Indians in Christian society. The article revisits the Antilles and the Indian uprising of Puerto Rico in 1511. It describes how important the Encomienda system became for the survival of the Spanish colony. It also narrates how the Domenican friars put the cornerstone of the defence of the Indians before Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas made his first steps, the fist effects of their work were the so called Leyes de Burgos of 1512 and its Moderation of 1513