The 'Black Legend': Historian Argues Anti-Catholic Bias in Spanish Conquest Narratives

Historian Jorge Traslosheros, an expert in Latin American studies, contends that the "black legend" surrounding the Spanish conquest was strategically crafted as a profoundly anti-Catholic narrative. Emerging in the 18th century, the "black legend" was largely advanced by England in its colonial competition with Spain, portraying Spanish Catholicism as synonymous with cruelty and exploitation while celebrating Protestant settlers as righteous protectors of Indigenous rights. This narrative, Traslosheros argues, relied on selectively using sources, such as Friar Bartolomé de las Casas, a Spanish missionary who criticized colonial abuses, to paint Spain as uniquely tyrannical.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Highlights

By Michael Galloway
11/5/2024 (3 months ago)

Published in Blog

Keywords: anti-Catholic narrative, Jorge Traslosheros, Indegenous

Traslosheros, a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, points out that this narrative oversimplifies complex histories by attributing the "evils" of colonization solely to Spanish influence. While pre-Hispanic culture is often idealized in the "black legend" narrative, he argues that such interpretations neglect the broader historical picture, dismissing any contributions from the Catholic colonial period to the development of modern Latin America.

In particular, he explains that Indigenous communities' challenges arose not solely under Spanish rule but were exacerbated after independence during the liberal reforms of the 19th century. Unlike the Spanish viceroyalty, which allowed Indigenous communities certain degrees of autonomy, post-independence reforms restricted Indigenous self-governance, igniting socio-economic issues that persist today. Traslosheros argues that blaming Spanish colonialism exclusively for Indigenous struggles overlooks this crucial historical shift, deflecting responsibility from later political and social transformations.

For Traslosheros, understanding the past requires contextualizing these events accurately rather than projecting moral judgments rooted in contemporary politics. He stresses that historians must differentiate between genuine historical inquiry and politicized narratives like the "black legend." This reinterpretation, he believes, is essential for Latin Americans to truly reconcile with their heritage, acknowledging both the contributions and conflicts within their Spanish Catholic and Indigenous legacies.