Historian: Black legend of the Spanish conquest is anti-Catholic narrative

For the renowned historian Jorge Traslosheros, Doctor in Latin American Studies, the so-called “black legend” of the Spanish conquest of American lands emerges “essentially and fundamentally as a deeply anti-Catholic narrative.”

The era of the conquest of America, which spanned from the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century, refers to the period in which European explorers and conquerors arrived and settled on the American continent.

Dr. Traslosheros, professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), explained to EWTN News that the “black legend” emerged in the 18th century and was consolidated in that same period, driven by the competition between England and Spain for “the domination of the American colonies.

In this context, he indicated, England constructed a narrative, which is commonly known as the “black legend,” in which its people were presented as “the good people of history—Anglicans, Protestants—against the perverse Spanish Catholic Empire.

He pointed out that this discourse is based on interpretations “selectively” extracted from the stories of figures such as Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, a Spanish Dominican missionary and chronicler, known for being one of the main defenders of the rights of indigenous peoples in America.

According to Dr. Traslosheros, the “black legend” accentuates “inferiorization”: Everything that has been “American is inferior to European and Catholicism is the worst that can exist.”

Its current use

Dr. Traslosheros warned that currently the “black legend” has become “a political discourse,” used with the intention of “polarizing” society.

“We return to the idea that only the pre-Hispanic past was good, beautiful and true,” said the researcher, who argues that all evils are attributed to the viceregal era, such as “corruption, perversion, exploitation; “The evil comes from Spain.”

In this way, he indicated, “if all the evil comes from then, we are not responsible for the evils of the present. It is the perfect alibi for irresponsible political groups.”

The “big problems” of the indigenous people did not begin in the viceroyalty

In relation to the indigenous people, Dr. Traslosheros explained that “the great problems of the communities” do not originate in the viceregal period, as some suggest, but rather come from the “liberal reforms” of the 19th century, after independence, when “their autonomy and their own forms of government, which were recognized within the monarchy of Spain, were unknown.”

This problem is not exclusive to Mexico, he indicated, but affects all of Latin America, where “we cannot reconcile ourselves with our history. Then we are totally devoid of the origin of our own culture, we are despising what we really are.”

The mission of the historian, he stressed, “has not to do with judging the past,” but with “understanding the past, that is, understanding how things happened on their own terms.”

In contrast, he stated that “the mission of politicians is to gain sympathy or not, usually by polarizing arguments.” In this sense, he indicated that the black legend “is a historical narrative, it is not the work of a historian.”

Ana Paula Morales collaborated on this article.