Bartolome de las Casas and Galeano (1/21/2020)

1492 was a momentous year for Spain, it marked not only the discovery (or perhaps rediscovery) of the New World, but the recovery of Granada, which had been previously taken by the Arabs almost 8 centuries prior. This was the war against islam, a war for Christianity (which also resulted in the expulsion of thousands of Jews). It was the time of the holy inquisition and this in a way fueled the fire to claim new lands.

In the early Spanish voyages to the Americas, wealth seemed to be the ultimate goal—they were there to conquer in the name of the royals, as well as acquire riches that had been previously describe by Marco Polo. They saw these riches as a divine right to be bestowed upon the crown and by extension themselves and they thus saw themselves as the masters of the land, divinely privileged with discovery. They also acknowledged that he who possesses gold may reign—over people and the world. Though spices were expensive, silver and gold “opened the doors to paradise” and gave them great capitalistic power in a world ruled by mercantilism.

The acquisition of the New World for the Spanish was ultimately one sided. Not only did the Europeans have technological advantages over the natives, such as cannons, boats, guns, gun powder, swords, etc, the Europeans also brought with them horses. These powerful animals surprised the natives, who had never seen horses and confounded them. It gave the Europeans an element of surprise over the natives, as well as significant speed and power. Apart for material advantages, Europeans brought with them disease via bacteria and viruses. If the natives were not killed in battle with the Europeans, they would almost certainly be decimated by diseases to which they had no immunity. Finally, the Europeans had a psychological advantage over the natives—where the Europeans knew the natives were flesh and blood, the natives saw the foreign invaders as vengeful gods who’s arrival had been previously predicted. Not only were the Europeans phenotypically different from the natives, the technological advantages they boasted most likely further convinced the natives that the Europeans were not mere mortals like them.

And so began the hunt for riches in earnest. According to native accounts, the Spaniards’ reacted to gold greedily, as if it were a necessity for them. And once this necessity was found, they gorged themselves full of the riches of the land. The Spaniards used all their force to take the gold and used all their force to demand more. This inevitably caused the murder and death of countless other natives. One of the most impactful lands, or “discoveries” made in the new world was the mountains filled with silver—namely that of Potosi in Peru. Potosi served not only as a sight of reverence for the natives, but the Europeans as well, as it would later become a fountain of silver that supplied, to some degree, Europe and the new world. The silver that came from Potosi decorated not only the area around it with it’s shine, but also allowed the import of fine materials from all over the old world. It’s impact and fame was renowned and yielded lavishness that was incredibly unique.

It could be said that Spain, “owned the cow, others drank the milk.” Although Potosi and all the other riches of the new world were essentially commanded and owned by the Spanish crown, the benefits of these riches were seen most outside of Spain, with its partner’s whom the Spanish traded with. Spain at the time was plagued by mismanagement, debt, and wars, draining the county of its economic potential. Not only were the riches of the new world being put into the European market as a whole instead of just Spain, Spain also had to supply its colonies in the new world with material, supplies, needs and wants—this of course also took its economic toll on the country. Those concerned with titles and living lavish did not invest appropriately and simply relied on their own haughty confidence and richness, as opposed to investing in trade, development, and the market. Thus, Spain owned the cow, but received minimal benefits—yet had to deal with keeping it alive and well.  

According to Marx in the first volume of Capital the discovery of gold and silver in America, along with what it meant, signaled the rise of capitalist productions. Galeano further expanded on this idea introduced by Marx by exploring the favorable environment these riches ascribed to  Europe and how it ultimately left Latin America lacking. The exploitation of resources that fueled the revitalization of the European economy (minus spain long term) was born out of the exploitation of the native peoples and people extracted and stolen from Africa, and the foundation of modern enterprise was laid atop the resulting bodies, valued significantly less than the metals and treasures extracted from the earth, yet priceless in their contribution. 

However, for all the gold and silver Spain acquired, and for all the riches that supposedly flowed in the New World like water, perhaps it would have been better managed had it stayed buried. The capital that was not sequestered in the economy of the old world was instead sequestered among the entities in the new world—the self proclaimed owners of this new land. Instead of investing capital into improving the opportunity and potential of the new world and making it self sustaining, the Spaniards, creoles, clergy, and others instead spent their time, money, and human capital building lavish homes and gilded churches, luxuries imported from across the sea and replenishing their wants and desires, and in general running their own, seemingly private estates. 

Depending on the person writing them, it is possible that recounts of the conquest of the Americas is varied, however, the voice of Bartolome de Las Casas rings clear to the plight of the natives and the greed of their new, local rulers. Bartolome de las Casas recounted his own experience with Spaniards and the natives in letters sent to the crown on the progress of the Indies. In order to give humanity to the natives, De Las Casas talked about the meekness of the natives, how kind and gentile they were and how they would only resort to violence should serious violence befall them. He painted the natives with such humility, that the recount of the Spaniards in the new world and how they subjugated the people instead made the Spaniards seem like foreign beasts and devils—people whom anyone would believe were devoid of humanity and grace. He further paints the greed of the Spanish conquerors in the  New world in their use and ultimate disuse of the natives. I believe the comparisons and imagery and scenarios described by De Las Casas reflects well the writings of Galeano, especially in the context of Spanish greed. Where de las Casas outlines the injustice with astounding imagery, Galenao uses a practical lay out that touches quite a bit on the economic implication of the Spanish greed in the new world and how it further drained the land of resources and made it all but unsustainable. For de Las Casas and Galeano, wealth and its surplus says nothing of the morality of the Spaniards, but says everything about their justifications and quest for dominion of a new world, away from the direct gaze of the crown.