Genocide and the Hispanic-American Dilemma

Abstract

The reasoning behind Hispanic-American colonization was that the indigenous people were rational vassals, who could be embraced by Christianity, and must, therefore, be protected and well-treated, though judiciously recruited to serve the interests of the Spanish Empire. Eyewitnesses and studies conducted on the Indian issue since the early sixteenth century found that the preservation-exploitation policy gradually became extremely destructive. Raphael Lemkin, in an unpublished study on Hispanic-American colonialism, was the first to call its damaging consequences genocide. The objective of this article is to explore the historical reliability of Lemkin’s controversial claim, and how it might tally with the Spanish Crown’s manifested caring approach toward the Indians. The study is based on a broad range of documents, many of them personal and unpublished until recently, making these sources highly reliable. We believe that the research will shed light on the historical dilemma of Hispanic-American colonization.