<b><em>Bartolomé de Las Casas</em>’ political legal thought of the new world native</b> - DOI: 10.4025/actascihumansoc.v25i1.2213

Abstract

The cultural chock between the old and the new world, when America was 'discovered' by Spain, caused a lot of important political, philosophical and legal discussion among jurists, theologists and other intellectual people. Bartolomé de Las Casas, who came to America in 1502 as an encomendero (person who takes or executes orders) and, afterwards, became a Dominican Father, was one of these individuals who discussed themes such as the natural right and people’s rights, the 'infidels' evangelization, the native slavery, the encomiendas (order for goods) system, as well as the kings and the Pope own legitimization power over the infidels. Analyzing Las Casas’ political legal thought of the inhabitants from that world, exposed to the Christian Europe, based on his work entitled Tratados of 1552, we can state that, in opposition to the official historiography of that period, Bartolomé de Las Casas showed a different image of the native in his papers, defending their governmental and freedom rights, among others