Bartolóme de Las Casas

Born at Sevilla in 1484, Bartolomé de las Casas was ordained a priest in 1507, entered the Order of Preachers in 1510, and was later made Bishop of Chiapas. A trained lawyer and landowner las Casas witnessed first hand the brutalization of Amerindian and Black enslaved populations. In response he devoted much of his career to advocating for peaceful colonization, and the rights of indigenous peoples.  Las Casas was named Protectoría de los Indios 1515 and in the following years participated in high level debates in Spain. Las Casas died in 1566 at Madrid.