Antonio de Montesinos was a Dominican missionary friar on the island of Hispaniola. He arrived from Spain in 1510. Disgusted at the treatment of the local Indians by the Spanish, he spoke out about this in a sermon in 1511. The Governor of the colony, Diego Columbus (Christopher’s son), asked Antonio to retract his statement, but the friar repeated his sermon at the next opportunity.
“Tell me by what right of justice do you hold these Indians in such a cruel and horrible servitude? On what authority have you waged such detestable wars against these people who dwelt quietly and peacefully on their own lands? Wars in which you have destroyed such an infinite number of them by homicides and slaughters never heard of before. 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.“
Antonio and his followers were recalled to Spain by the King, where they plead their case. The “Laws of Burgos” was passed by the court, which gave the Indians rights to better treatment, and Antonio returned to the colony a few years later.
Antonio received the official title of Protector of the Indians He moved to Venezuela where was murdered. Montesinos’ outspoken criticism influenced Bartolomé de las Casas to head the humane treatment of Indians movement.
This statue of Montesinos delivering his sermon is at the seafront of Santo Domingo. Facing the sea, the stone and bronze statue is 15 meters tall and was designed by Mexican sculptor Antonio Castellanos. It was donated to the Dominican people by the Mexican government and dedicated in 1982 by the presidents of Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
