The Catholic Association of Propagandists (ACdP) has made its own reading of Spanish history. “Neither genocidal nor slavers, they were heroes and saints” is the message they advocate before Columbus Day through large posters placed on marquees in cities throughout Spain. This is how they intend to legitimize the conquest of America by the Spanish starting on October 12, 1492.
A QR code accompanying the posters links to a video posted on the YouTube channel of the ACdP, an entity associated with the CEU San Pablo university. In it, a “duel” is staged, as they call it, between Francisco, presented as a graduate in History and defender of Human Rights, and a person from Latin America, supposedly named Sebas. There is no more information about them. Overacting is the star of the fake set made for the occasion.
Thus, the association aims to dismantle in just two minutes what they call the “black legend” through only a couple of questions: which were the main colonies of Spain in America and the true motivation of the crown of Castile in America.
The Latin American man maintains that Spain did not commit genocide, as the French and English did. Furthermore, he emphasizes that “there was a great mixture” between Spaniards and natives, “that is why we preserve indigenous traits.” He also defends that the “true reason for the expansion was faith” in response to the comments of the supposed historian, who points out that “the faith thing was an excuse, what they wanted was gold.”
Alfredo González Ruibal, historical archaeologist and CSIC researcher, states that this campaign can be considered “historical flat earthism” since “not even the most conservative historians would support that vision.” From their point of view, regardless of how the effects of the conquest are qualified, its most direct result was the death of up to 90% of the population due to the demographic collapse caused by diseases, mistreatment of indigenous people, and their enslavement. .
Conquest, synonymous with extermination
Regarding whether what Spain did upon its arrival in America can be considered a genocide, the specialist explains that “genocide as a planned extermination and general state policy did not exist as such until the 19th century.” On the other hand, “practices with genocidal results” had been carried out before, such as the Spanish in the Antilles or the British and French in North America. This means that “the very development of the Spanish conquest led to the extermination of many indigenous peoples, but not because they wanted to kill them all,” comments the archaeologist.
This genocidal state mentality did exist in the second colonial wave, which began at the end of the 18th century. “Spain does not participate in it because it did not have imperial expansion, but rather retreated. It’s not that we are morally superior. In fact, in Equatorial Guinea, where Spain did have sovereignty, planned genocidal practices have been documented,” completes the CSIC researcher.
Miscegenation as sexual violence
Regarding miscegenation, González Ruibal emphasizes that it did occur more in the Spanish case, especially in state areas, such as the Andes and Mexico. “We are talking about a greater population mass and a sedentary society of a state nature compared to the areas occupied by the French and British,” he states. In any case, with the English there was also a certain mixing, something that is even part of popular culture and was reflected in the story of Pocahontas.
Beyond that, it is proven that the issue of miscegenation involved another form of violence, mainly sexual. This is what happened in the Canary Islands, the first place that Castile colonized, the expert recalls, where the male lineages disappeared “because they massacred or enslaved the men, while the conquerors married mainly the women through mass rape that allowed them to transmit their genes”, in the words of the historian archaeologist.
Spain, at the head of slavery
“Spain had to continually enact laws against slavery because they were not respected. In fact, slavery did not end until the 18th century, later than people usually think,” explains the researcher. Those laws that in theory prohibited slavery always left exceptions that did allow it against, for example, those indigenous people considered cannibals or who violently opposed the conquest.
The archaeologist highlights this “pink legend” about the Spanish and the supposedly more benevolent treatment they gave towards the communities they conquered. “In the case of slavery, Spain is one of the last countries to prohibit it completely. In Cuba it did it in 1880, only behind Brazil, which did it in 1888,” he points out. And he adds: “Spain cannot boast of saying that we were not slave owners because we were, and more than anyone else.”
The situation did not change once human trafficking was prohibited. “When it was no longer allowed in all European countries, some people, especially from Catalonia, made great fortunes with trade, with illegal trafficking. And they did it with people even from places outside the range of action of Spanish sovereignty, such as in Sierra Leone,” explains González Ruibal.
Propagandists of lies
For this expert, what the ACdP has done is exaggerate the differences between Spaniards, French and British to present a “totally benevolent vision of the Spanish and totally negative of the other European colonizers following nationalist goals.” The form, beyond the content, also speaks of the way in which this type of reactionary organizations use to transmit their messages: “They are cultural artifacts that have permeated the collective mentality for a decade. Furthermore, they serve those people who also defend the same message, although in a somewhat more subtle way, to say that these people are a little crazy, when in reality they all hold the same positions,” explains González Ruibal.
He, as a researcher and expert in the field, is more concerned about other publications such as those carried out by Academia Play or those by Roca Barea, names that he mentions explicitly. “What this Association has done is not very different from what José Luis López-Linares does [director de ”España, la primera globalización“ e ‘Hispanoamérica, canto de vida y esperanza’]. The king came to the premiere of his documentary. “I don’t understand how the representative of a State can legitimize an ultra-reationary pamphlet with ideas that the most conservative historians have debunked,” concludes the CSIC researcher.
Mexico, conquest and Felipe VI
The campaign orchestrated by the ACdP, in addition to taking place the days before the celebration of the national holiday, coinciding with the conquest of America, does so a few weeks after Mexico decided not to invite Felipe VI to the inauguration of Claudia Sheinbaum, the country’s first female president.
In March 2019, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, former Mexican president, addressed the Spanish Royal House: “The State that I preside over does not ask for compensation for the pecuniary damage of the grievances that were caused to it by Spain nor does it intend to proceed legally before them; On the other hand, Mexico wants the Spanish State to admit its historical responsibility for these offenses and offer the appropriate apologies or political compensation.” The Royal House never responded.
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