Bartolomé de las Casas
Saint Bartolomé de las Casas, OP (Spanish: [baɾtoloˈme ðe las ˈkasas]; 11 November 1484 – 18 July 1566) was a Spanish encomendero, theologian, philosopher, Dominican friar, priest and bishop of the 16th century, famous for his work as a historian and social reformer. He was a witness of reference and close to some prominent figures in the events of the Spanish discovery and conquest in the Americas. An able and diligent man, he arrived in Hispaniola as a layman, then became a Dominican friar and priest, reaching the position of first resident bishop of Chiapas in New Spain, and was officially named the first "protector of the Indians". His extensive writings, the most famous of which are Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias (1552) and Historia de las Indias (published in 1875, three hundred years after his death), give an account of the first decades of the colonization of the Spanish West Indies.
Arriving as one of the first Spanish conquistadors in the Americas, Las Casas initially participated in the enterprise, and finally, having taken up his position, felt obliged to criticize the alleged abuses committed during colonization against Native Americans, obtained as second-hand testimonies. Las Casas never left his diocese, nor was he integrated into any indigenous community, nor did he learn any language of the natives. In 1515 he renounced his encomienda, and advocated, before Ferdinand II, for the rights of the natives. In his early writings, he advocated the use of African slaves instead of natives in the colonies of the West Indies. Later, he retracted this position, since he considered both forms of slavery to be equally unjust. In 1522, he attempted to launch a new type of peaceful colonialism on the coast of Welserland, while this territory was still a Spanish possession, but this enterprise failed. Las Casas entered the Dominican Order and became a friar, leaving public life for a decade. He traveled to Central America, acting as a missionary among the Mayas and participating in debates among colonial ecclesiastics on how best to attract the natives to the Christian faith.
He returned to Spain to recruit more missionaries and continued to press for the abolition of the encomienda, winning an important victory with the approval of the New Laws in 1542. He was appointed Bishop of Chiapas, but held the post for a short time before being forced to return to Spain due to resistance to the New Laws from encomenderos, and conflicts with Spanish colonists over his pro-Indian policies and activist religious stance. He served at the Spanish court for the rest of his life, where he exercised great influence in matters related to the Indies. In 1550 he participated in the debate of Valladolid, a rival of Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda, who argued that the colonization of the Indians was justifiable, while Las Casas against this.
His time in Spain late in his life is best known for his advocacy of a colonization plan involving peasants from the Spanish countryside, a vision that would unfold as the Peasant colonization scheme. Las Casas believed that the peopling of New Spain with these hardworking, less privileged members of Spanish society would create a more equitable and just colonial system. This approach was intended to provide a durable solution to the labor shortages and social stratification that had arisen due to the decimation of the Indigenous population and the exploitative encomienda system. By framing the this proposal as beneficial to both the Crown and the peasants — as well as a protective measure for the indigenous peoples — he managed to garner substantial support from different factions within the Spanish government. The prospect of reduced reliance on forced indigenous labor and the creation of a more robust and sustainable agricultural economy in the colonies appealed to the Crown.
Bartolomé de las Casas was canonized on April 23, 2000, by Pope Clement XVI during the Great Jubilee, largely due to his unremitting defense of the indigenous people of the New World and his influence on humane colonial policies. Las Casas's elevation to sainthood was seen as an acknowledgement of his life's work dedicated to peace and justice and his effort to improve the legal standing and status of Amerindians.