The Ignorance of the Unknown: The Case of the Religious Imperialist Bartolomé de las Casas as a Typical Political Hypocrite

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Nelson

(By Nelson Santana. Submitted on Wednesday, October 5th as a class assignment.)

Ignorance is a double-edged sword that has been used time and again to justify the illegal and immoral actions of society’s protagonists. The concept of human rights has been in existence since the beginning of time. On the other hand, each society has its own views of human rights. For example, the United States “Declaration of Independence” states that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness;” unfortunately the “Declaration of Independence” only had white men in mind when it was written, and the people of African descent who at the time were enslaved were viewed as folks not worthy of being equal, human, or having a soul.

Bartolomé de las Casas was born in Spain and thus was the product of a feudal society based on a hierarchy with God on top, followed by angels and archangels; human clergymen: the pope, bishops, priests; Christian human beings: monarchs, noblemen, peasants; non-Christians and non-Europeans; and at the bottom were those who were not Christian or not worthy of having a soul: indigenous population of the Americas and the African slaves. One could easily argue that Bartolomé de las Casas was born ahead of his time, but that would be an unjust understatement as de las Casas was actually a European imperialist who later transformed into a brave rebel – but remained a religious imperialist – who realized the errors of mankind and championed human rights, hence making him one of the first Europeans to fight for the rights of the indigenous population in the Americas.

De las Casas is the prototypical hero found in countless books and films. Rodrigo Mendoza, a fictional character played by Robert De Niro in the film The Mission, was a mercenary and slaver, whom much like de las Casas, benefitted from the capitalistic Spanish enslavement of the indigenous population of the Americas. De las Casas’ first encounter with a native of the Americas happened in 1498 or 1499 when his father, the merchant Pedro de las Casas, presented the young person to his son (Knight: xviii). One cannot fight for a cause without having knowledge of what he or she is fighting for; therefore it was crucial for de las Casas to have been in close proximity to an indigenous person at home in Spain and afterward meet that same person in Hispaniola. Prior to being ordained a priest, de las Casas “had already amassed enough wealth” as a major supplier of food, cattle and slaves (Knight: xx). Hence, it is safe to assume that de las Casas was in a comfortable position to argue for human rights, as he did not need to worry about feeding his family as he had already accumulated sufficient wealth to last him a lifetime.

People are not born heroes and activists, but rather the life experience of a person molds him or her into what that person is to become in the future. It is only after witnessing firsthand the inhumane treatment of the indigenous population in Hispaniola that de las Casas decides to become their champion by bringing awareness to the Spanish Crown about the harsh treatment. He argued, “…wherein the Christians entered and began the devastations and perditions of these nations, and first destroyed them and wiped the land clean of inhabitants, these Christians began to take the women and children of the Indians to serve them and use them will (Knight: 8).”

Many Spaniards did not believe the people they set out to colonize had a soul. De las Casas too shared this sentiment as he “saw himself as coming from a culturally superior world with a divine mandate to impose a set of ideas and beliefs on the less privileged colonized (Castro: 178).” Unfortunately, according to Article 16 of the United Nation’s “Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” de las Casas deprived the indigenous population of their right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion when he imposed Christianity on them, thus leading the way to imperialism.

At the time, the Spaniards equated the indigenous population to edible animals and in one of de las Casas’ accounts about a Spaniard and his men he wrote, “…he would not feed the ten or even twenty thousand men that he took with him, he gave them leave to eat the Indians that they captured… where in his presence children would be slain and cooked, and a man would be slain for his hands alone and his feet, which were considered to be a delicacy (Knight: 42).” These glorified conquerors were in actuality cannibalistic barbarians who butchered women and children as though they were insignificant beasts wandering the “New World.” Again, this act of brutality goes against the human rights law set forth by “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights” as it violated Article 1: “all human beings are free and equal in dignity and rights;” Article 3: “right to life, liberty and security of person;” and Article 4, which prohibits slavery and servitude, among many other articles that are in violation of the laws set forth by the United Nations.

Though some critics would argue that de las Casas was a walking contradiction as he “believed in wars” and “believed in slavery (Knight: xxx),” he was a product of his time who still managed to challenge the status quo. It is important to note that although some of his beliefs would have been in violation of today’s “Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” nevertheless he risked his neck fighting for a group of people he set out to “save” via his evangelization campaign. Though he originally proposed the idea of enslaving Africans as opposed to the indigenous population, he would later see the error of this Eurocentric logic and “repudiate his support for the forced enslavement of Africans (Knight: xxx).”

Las Casas was a champion of human rights. Daniel Castro writes, “Perhaps his most significant contribution to the historical reality of Indoamerica was his tenacity in defending that most important of human rights, the right to life (Castro: 183).” He continues, “…he must be recognized as an important precursor of the prevailing move toward a wider understanding and application of the doctrine of human rights.” Though de las Casas was influential in the betterment of the treatment toward the indigenous, his case was somewhat similar to the situation in the United States during the 1850s-1860s with the culmination of the U.S. Civil War. In the industrialized North, there was no longer a demand for slavery, and even the South – though at a much slower rate – was coming to the realization that the labor of African slaves was no longer beneficial to its economy; this of course was well documented in The Impending Crisis of the South, a book written by the southerner Hinton Rowan Helper who argued the aforementioned. Rewind back to 300 years earlier when the Spanish colonizers realized that perhaps de las Casas was right about the evil of the enslavement of the indigenous population; but not because they had a soul, but rather due to economic reasons. It did not take the conquistadores long to realize that the indigenous population was not suited for the labor their capitalist system required. The indigenous people of the Americas were depopulated 90 percent due to not being immune to European disease and more importantly the harsh labor the Spaniards forced them into. This is when the Spaniards decide to import slaves from Africa at the behest of de las Casas.

De las Casas was an imperialist who imposed his “superior” culture on that of the indigenous. As the lesser of two evils he managed to corrupt a society that was already intact; he provided the indigenous population with a second option: be saved or die; betray their culture and traditions and live with the shame; or suffer, be tortured and die. Either way, it was a no win situation for the original inhabitants of the Americas.

References:

Castro, Daniel. Another Face of Empire: Bartolomé de las Casas, Indigenous Rights, and Ecclesiastical Imperialism. Durham: Duke University Press, 2007.

Knight, Franklin W. An Account, Much Abbreviated, of the Destruction of the Indies. Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 2003.

“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” December 1948. The United Nations. 5 October 2011. <http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/>.

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One Month Down in Grad School

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Nelson

I realize it has been slightly over a month since I last posted something on The Santana Chronicles.

After a month in the graduate program I have scored a 90 on two quizzes and an A-, and I feel I am on my way to a successful first semester. What I keep wondering is whether or not the coursework will increase in difficulty as time progresses or if it will indeed become easier over time. One crucial factor in this newfound studious me is the discipline I possess today as opposed to the time I was an undergraduate. In one class we have a quiz at the beginning of each class session whereas in the other we must submit a présis, a summary of that class reading, five times throughout the semester; my latest assignment for this class, which was not a precis, was to argue whether or not the Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas was the ”father of human rights” in the Americas (I am still debating whether I should share this paper with my wonderful readers of The Santana Chronicles.)

As time passes I am also in the process of developing my thesis which although is not a requirement for completion of this program, I feel compelled to write one as I have an exciting topic I am salivating over to create and hopefully publish as a book. Though I promised myself not to reveal any details to anyone, I will say that it focuses on Dominican culture. Now, it is only a matter of time before I seek funding to travel to Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and other places to research my intriguing topic.

Also, this weekend I participated in the 5th Annual Dominican Book Fair in New York. It was a great event which started with a blast at the United Palace with the participation of merengue legend Rafael Solano, singer Nini Caffaro and Jankarlo Nuñez among others. I was able to speak to some of the brightest Dominican authors and artists of the current generation. Next time I will post the info of any conference or event ahead of time.

This is it for now, but do not worry, I promise to be a little more active from now on.

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The Experimental Guinea Pig: First (& Second) Day of Grad School

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Nelson

The first time is always special. Although for me, even though I have not done it in six years, it still felt special like that first time – very special. The perturbation of doing something I enjoy is only the tipping of the iceberg. The anxiousness of that special moment had been driving me hysterical for months. The different emotions had fueled the itty bitty little butterflies in my stomach which made me ponder the thought of how it was possible for those innocent little creatures to multiply in such little time. Like the Virgo caught in the middle of Leo and Libra, who so happens to blind us by night, I could not help it but feel titillation from the stimulation of my imagination. Finally the moment had come – my first day of class.

Last Tuesday and Wednesday, respectfully, I met the professors of the two courses I am enrolled in this fall semester.

On a different occasion I would have felt offended by what my first professor said during the first five minutes of class. He literally referred to us as guinea pigs, even though he did not explicitly use the term. (Interestingly enough, Wednesday’s professor went out of his way to ensure we did not see ourselves as guinea pigs.) It just so happens that he – Tuesday’s professor – was as frank as my faculty advisor (whom you can read more about in my previous post). According to Prof. A – and I do appreciate his sincerity – we the students are part of an experimental master’s program, which is the first of its kind, hence making us pioneers. Therefore, the program itself is more of a trial and error, and my presence in this class will lay the foundation, mold the framework and set the tone for future coursework.

First Week

My Tuesday class meets from 5:30pm-7:10pm whereas my Wednesday course has a starting time of 7:30pm and runs through 9:10pm. Though both classes seemed interesting on the first day, I must admit that at certain times my eyes were nearly overcome with sleep on my Wednesday class; the most crucial factor being that class meets late at night, a time when our human bodies crave for rest and sleep.

Prof. W spoke about the importance of becoming a jack of all trades: a strong background in one area such as history but also dive into sociology, have basic knowledge of the natural sciences, know a little here, a little there; basically, become a modern day Renaissance man.

Two of my mentors, a chief librarian and chief archivist have both encouraged me to grow by learning as much as possible and becoming a sort of Renaissance man. The chief archivist especially lectures me on a weekly basis on the importance of knowing more than is expected of me.

Week Two

This second week of class was a bit different. This time around I was only semi-nostalgic as all the the excitement of being back in school seems to vanish as the days pass, especially now since I have to do schoolwork and have to devise a strategy to pass both courses.

Though I did not read the assigned material word-for-word, I was able to grasp enough not to be lost in class. I am almost positive I aced Prof. A’s quiz – there will be one “controlled quiz” at the beginning of each class –  and at times I felt like the smart aleck as I kept raising my hand since I was still high about being back in school. There are two things I find interesting about yesterday’s class though: 1) Prof. A inspected nearly every students’ textbooks; my guess is that he looked for signs of people actually opening the books to read them. The reason mine seem to be in mint condition can be attributed to the fact that I treat the books I purchase similar to the Marvel cards and comics I own and treasure. 2) Prof. A made a statement and I elaborated on it referencing one of the textbooks, and at the end of the day it seemed as though I was wrong, even though I obtained my fact, which I argued to no avail, from the book. I do give Prof. A credit though, as on the first day of class he stated he did not agree with everything in the textbooks – heck, he even claimed on the first day of class to have assigned us a book he completely disagrees with.

The readings Prof. W assigned may not have been as interesting as Prof. A, but the class discussion made up for it. For those unaware, one class compliments the other as they are both about the study of the Americas. While Prof. A is a straight-to-the-point professor, Prof. W is more of an abstract pedagogue, and at times we his students remain baffled in a state of bewilderment with the words and ideas he throws at us.

One class deals with the “invention of the Americas” while the other is about the study of the societies and cultures of the peoples who live and have lived in the Americas.

I will not divulge any more info about the classes or program, but please look forward to this and much more in my future posts.

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My Pre-school Odyssey

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Nelson

These last two weeks have been extremely hectic and school has not even yet started. There was an earthquake last week Tuesday which rocked my hometown of New York, which by the way I did not feel and you can read more about in my article, “Shocking Earthquake Rattles New York City” (at Esendom.com) and then there was Hurricane Irene which finally reached New York this past weekend and thank God did not cause the harm anticipated, and you can read all about it in my other article, “Hurricane Irene Batters Red Hook & Sunset Park in Brooklyn, New York,” where you will also be able to view images and video.

Now back to the other occurrences that have snuck their way into my hectic life – grad school.

Since I am an incoming student, on August 17 I had to register in person with my overtly sweet program advisor, who came across more as a motherly figure as opposed to an administrator, making the brief interrogation seem like a dream.

But prior to the interview there were a few interesting things that led up to registration. For example, this particular program does not take place at the campus, but rather miles away yet very accessible to the folks over at Wall Street – you know, where the world’s movers and shakers congregate to fuel the invention of capitalism. (Luckily for me, this satellite one-floor center is more convenient for me since it happens to be closer to home than the actual campus.)

A colleague and good friend of mine – whom I am indebted to since he is the person who informed me about the program as he too applied and was accepted, and is also one of the people who pushed me – accompanied me to registration. From the moment we got there it was almost evident that not too many people were aware of the proper protocol: we were handed a form which we later discovered is only to be completed by undergraduates. On the plus side, the folks there were very nice, in fact, my colleague –  who successfully completed his undergrad studies at the college was quick to point the mellow, caring down-to-earth environment at this satellite location as opposed to the overwhelming campus, where a large percentage of the staff and faculty seem to forget the principle reason they are at the college in the first place is attributed to the student presence – without students there would not be a Financial Aid or Registrar’s, two offices with a reputation of being traditionally unkind to students.

It was actually my fault that we waited nearly an hour to register for fall 2011 courses with our faculty advisor, since it was my idea to arrive extremely early. It has been six years since I completed my undergraduate studies so although my memory is a bit fuzzy, I still remember those never-ending days at the Financial Aid and SEEK Office respectively, where students wait hours to ask a question or submit a mere document.

There we are waiting our turn for the dreadful meeting with our faculty advisor. Since there is really not much to do we decide to scout the environment and observe the place we will call home for the next year and a half. My first day there was someone else’s last day on the job, and we could not help but notice the party the staff held for the departing soul – fast-forward to 30 minutes later and our advisor would inform us that the room where this farewell party is being held is also the same conference room where all graduate classes take place.

So there we are scouting the place and through the entrance comes this tall, beautiful woman who sits beside us. For the most part, my colleague and I communicate in a language that is not English – Spanish, so naturally we continue to communicate in the language of our native tongue. Interestingly enough, moments later my inquisitive partner – who by the way is much more curious than that little monkey George – somehow initiated a conversation with the young lady which led to the most startling data anyone could have imagined. For those who are not yet aware, I am of Dominican ancestry, as so is my colleague; but even more amazing is that the young lady who we met is also Dominican. Why is this startling? This is the only day new students are provided to meet their faculty advisor and register for classes; but even more important and very much impressive is the fact that these three new students are all of Dominican descent, a fact that we each ensured our advisor grasped, and she was very welcoming indeed.

3:10 p.m. arrives and the faculty advisor introduces herself and invites us all to her office. She is kind enough to give us a tour of the school: library, lounge, restrooms, classrooms, exhibit gallery and other peachy places. We must have hit the jackpot because as she is conducting the tour the dean of the school happens to pass by and he welcomes us to his school.

So there I am in the room with my advisor and this is not a mere registration session. She asks me about my goals in life and where I plan to go and do with this Master’s degree. I tell her I am a citizen of the world and write for an online web portal and she encourages me and seems pleased with my goals. She asks me about my undergrad studies and I tell her I graduated with a degree in English Literature from Baruch College. It just so happens that her concentration is also English and she asks me about my former Baruchian professors, and for the first time through the course of this interview nervousness begins to kick in. I cannot believe it, but I do not recall the name of any former English professor. Luckily, she knows some of those folks and I was a student of one of the three she mentions. At the end of the day all went well and she registered me for class.

On another note, six years are just that – six years. The excitement of starting anew and meeting new people – professors and students alike, and whoever else in between – has me more enthused than a chunky monkey at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Like the nerd I am, last Friday I went to the college bookstore to purchase my books. Now, my faculty advisor did warn me to wait until the first day of class to receive the official word of the required books, however, the back-to-school thrill got the best of me and I dared to disobey her orders. Unfortunately, she was right and the books were not there.

Classes start today and I cannot wait to get this first day over with.

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The New York Earthquake that Postponed My Blog Entry

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Nelson

I prepared a new blog entry about my pre-grad school odyssey, however, the strangest thing happened yesterday – an earthquake shook the city I live in. Fortunately for me, I felt no tremors; all to the contrary the same cannot be said about other New Yorkers who rattled and rolled with the ground-shaking quake. I was at work when it occurred and though mostly no one felt the Earth’s frightening tremble, I did encounter two women who claimed they felt the tremors. Though I am not a psychologist, I am going to hypothesize and state that they did not feel the quake, but rather, watched or read about it in the news, and somehow believed they felt the ground shake. That is my opinion and I am sticking to it.

I do have a few questions for the earthquake experts though:

Is it possible for one person sitting at arm’s length from another to feel an earthquake and the other feel nothing?

Sources state that on January 12, 2010 a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti at a depth of 8.1 miles. The earthquake that struck the east coast yesterday registered 5.8 on the Richter scale. What would have the outcome been for Haiti had the earthquake’s magnitude been 5.8 and vice versa? To what extent are New York buildings superior in engineering or better equipped to withstand such impact?

Does an earthquake lose momentum when it travels from one area to another?

What was the magnitude of the earthquake when it reached New York?

Is New York City that much more important than any other city in the world?  The media is the judge of that. On Monday, a day prior to the east coast quake, an earthquake struck the state of Colorado, reaching a magnitude of 5.3, and no injuries were reported. Did it make the news? Barely! An earthquake hits New York and the national and international media covers it.

There is no place like New York; New York City that is, not New York State.

You can read more about the earthquake that shook the east coast in the articles I wrote:

Shocking Earthquake Rattles New York City

Sorprendente terremoto en Nueva York causa temor

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Grad School: Going Back to School

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Nelson

Going back to school brings me back to those nostalgic summer days when butterflies flapped their bubbly little wings inside my belly due to the nature of the giddy anxiousness of looking forward to a manifold of things: schoolwork, seeing old friends, meeting new friends, the quirky and sadistic teacher, and who can forget the girls? Ah, the good old days.

At first, I was a tad concerned about applying to grad school, especially since I had not been a student for six years. Eventually, I mustered enough courage and through the guidance and motivation of my mentors I applied to a program. (Eventually, I will share the name of the program, university and other details; but for now I’ll keep you intrigued with the mystique of it all.)

I submitted my application on May 15 and received a response exactly two weeks later on Friday, May 27. Firstly I was shocked at the application process of now-a-days as opposed to the days of my undergraduate study when I had to apply via mail. To my awe this time around the application process was in electronic format, including the letters of recommendation, which blew my mind. Then again, going paperless is both beneficial to the environment and speeds up the application process, or so they say.

I procrastinated for nearly three hours the reading of the dreaded acceptance or rejection letter. I was more anxious than the late George Steinbrenner during a Yankees-Red Sox playoff game.

The time arrived and there I was: my Superman eyes staring at a kryptonite computer screen, reading yet looking away at the end of each word, trying not to read the message…the suspense was more intense than a heated argument between a liberal donkey and conservative elephant…then again, an email with the subject line “A decision has been made on your application” created this nerve-wracking feeling…but then, the kryptonite could no longer prolong the inevitable and I read that I was accepted into Grad School.

So I’ve decided to start this blog to keep a modern-day diary of my graduate studies and professional development, and as a tool to vent from time to time – not too much though – and maintain my sanity. Thus you will have VIP access to the road to my graduate studies.

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