A Cry in the Wilderness

"You are all in mortal sin... for you keep these people in desperate servitude... Why do you keep them so oppressed and exhausted, without giving them enough to eat or curing them of the sicknesses they incur from the excessive labor you give them, and they die, or rather you kill them, in order to extract and acquire gold every day? Are these not men? Have they not rational souls? Are you not bound to love them as you love yourselves?"

Sermon by Antonio de Montesinos delivered in Santo Domingo on December 1511, as documented by Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias.

We can safely assume that slavery has been a fact of life for all of human history. Everywhere you look, there’s a story of one group of humans subjugating another group of humans. The true extent and horror of slavery around the world, as taught in North America curricula, has not been well documented, and much of what we're taught in North America is filtered through the lens of English colonial history in the US. Thanks to historical records, it is possible to track the initial debates concerning slavery that eventually led to its abolition in the Americas.

Museo de las Casas Reales exhibit on slavery

Many citizens of the Dominican Republic are descendants of slaves (African and indigenous) from the colonial era. Given its historical position as one of the first major cities of the Spanish empire in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic, or Hispaniola as it was called back then, was witness to some of the worst excesses of slavery, starting with the enslavement, maltreatment, and murder of indigenous cultures then extending to African slaves later on.

Slaves worked in the sugarcane fields

It was an overcast day in Santo Domingo with quick showers falling on the streets. I was in exploration mode in the area known as Zona Colonial, where many historic buildings are located including the first cathedral in the Americas.

In 1510, nearly two decades after Spanish arrival in the New World, a friar by name of Antonio de Montesinos, journeyed to Hispaniola, modern day Dominican Republic (+ Haiti), as one of the first missionaries to visit the region.

Painting in Museo de las Casas Reales

Being in the mission of saving souls, Montesinos was not impressed by the terrible unchristian treatment of the indigenous people at the hands of the elite. We must remember that even Isabel la Católica disapproved of slavery of the natives whom she considered her subjects, but her good intentions led to the institution of the encomienda system that basically stamped the crown's seal of approval on the abuse of native people.

First slave revolt in the Americas

I followed a busy street from where I could see a large statue overlooking the ocean. It was truly imposing with its hand raised as if shouting across the sea.

In 1511, Montesinos delivered a sermon to the elite in the cathedral at Santo Domingo, where he condemned the treatment of the Taíno “Indians”.

No direct transcript of the sermon exists, except as narrated by Bartolomé de las Casas, whom Montesinos had greatly influenced. I have included a couple of Youtube videos with the entire sermon in the resources section. Montesinos is said to have reminded the aristocracy of the Christian values that included loving thy neighbor as thyself. After all, indigenous people were also the children of God in his religious world view.

Back in the colonial zone, I ran across the streets with large tropical raindrops falling and sought shelter under an awning.

Montesinos meant what he said in his sermon and refused to give sacrament to whom he saw as the guilty parties, including Christopher Columbus’ son and governor of Santo Domingo at the time, Diego Columbus.

Museo de las Casas Reales

This loud voice in the wilderness led to more public discussion and awareness of the exploitative practices taking place in the new world. It's amazing to think that this level of discussion was already taking place so early in colonial history. His advocacy for indigenous rights eventually led to reforms in Spain and beyond.

It also led him to trouble, and soon after his sermon, he was thrown out of the island. Back in Spain, he successfully defended himself and pushed further for changes to the encomienda system that had normalized some of the worst abuses against the natives. He continued fighting for the rights of indigenous people under the dominion of the Spanish empire and was even appointed “Protector of the Indians” in Venezuela. All of this, however, got him deeper into trouble with those who preferred the status quo and was murdered by an officer in a German-led expedition, allegedly because of his vocal and proactive style in protecting the rights of indigenous people.

Influenced by the work of Montesinos and Bartolome de las Casas, Emperor Charles V instituted the New Laws of the Indies for the Good Treatment and Preservation of the Indians in 1542, seeking to abolish the enslavement of indigenous people, but the practice continued for centuries, fueled by the trade in African slaves.

On the park located across the statue, the floor tiles were wet and slippery. I tried to get a good view of the statue from different angles, but as I was getting drenched, I decided to leave it be and go explore somewhere else.

“Hey amigo, it's slippery there! Go that way so you don't fall. Nice to meet you. I saw you taking pictures of the statue. That's Antonio de Montesinos. Where do you come from?”

The wiry older man had been watching me from a bench then approached me speaking Spanish and shook my hand.

“So great to meet you," he said cordially and jovially. "I knew someone from Canada in New York. I used to work there at the port with people from all over the world. Hard working and helpful. That I remember. The Canadian was attentive and friendly. Canadians are very charitable people.”

He spoke with that friendly Dominican accent, which like the Puerto Rican counterpart, appears to replace the R with an L, so I was having difficulty following the entire conversation with the animated fellow.

He told me of the time that he spent in New York and eventually returning because of private matters. Then he looked down and lowered his voice and changing the conversation, he told me there had been a fire recently in his apartment building, and he was having trouble finding a place to live. He also had some underlying health issues and needed money for medical bills.

I didn’t have much money on me because I didn’t feel comfortable carrying cash around, but he gladly accepted a few bucks and a bag of banana chips I was carrying.

I continued exploring the colonial zone in Santo Domingo and made a mental note to look up the enigmatic figure of Antonio de Montesinos who loomed large over the blue sea.

Resources

Sermon delivered by Antonio de Montesinos as documented by Bartolomé de las Casas (Spanish)

Partial translation in English

Antonio de Montesinos (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_de_Montesinos

Biography of Antonio de Montesinos, Defender of Indigenous Rights
https://www.thoughtco.com/antonio-de-montesinos-2136370

Fray Antonio De Montesinos and the Laws of Burgos,1512-1513
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/8374/

Montecino The Man And Monument
https://www.colonialzone-dr.com/montecino/

Sermón de Navidad del Padre Montesinos (25 de diciembre de 1511)
https://espanaenlahistoria.org/efemerides/espanaenlahistoria-25-de-diciembre/

Slavery in Spain (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Spain

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