A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies[1] (Spanish: Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias) is an account written by the Spanish Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas in 1542 (published in 1552) about the mistreatment of Native Americans in colonial times and sent to then Prince Philip II of Spain. In it, he depicts the cruelty and sadism of many Spanish seamen and colonists. One of the stated purposes for writing the account is his fear of Spain coming under divine punishment and his concern for the souls of the Native Americans. The account is one of the first attempts by a Spanish writer of the colonial era to depict the unfair treatment that the indigenous people endured during the Spanish conquest of the Greater Antilles, particularly the island of La Hispaniola. Las Casas's point of view can be described as being heavily against the Spanish methods of colonization, which, as he describes, have come at a great loss for the indigenous occupants of the islands.
The images described by Las Casas were later depicted by Theodore de Bry in copper plate engravings that showed the many atrocities committed by the Spanish.
   | Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies By Bartoleme de Las Casas (not full version) - Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies |
| | A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies at Project Gutenberg - A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies by Bartolomé de las Casas - Project Gutenberg |
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