La Española and Cumaná: Production and Coloniality in Bartolomé de las Casas

Abstract

The article examines Bartolomé de las Casas’s so-called “communitarian scheme” for Indigenous evangelization and organization, as outlined in his early proposals to the Spanish Crown: the Memorial in 1516, La Española in 1517, and Cumaná in 1518. Two discussions are presented: first, the significance of production and colonial expansion in these initiatives; second, a critical analysis, focusing on three aspects — the Indigenous body and potency, the imperial obligation to convert, and the discourse of the noble savage and the virtuous colonizer. The article concludes that, despite Las Casas’s leading role in defending indigenous peoples, his early thought contributed to the consolidation of a Eurocentric civilizing project.