Abstract

During the inaugural year of the University of Mexico , the Augustinian Friar Alonso de la Vera Cruz discussed a controversial topic, the respective rights and privileges of the Spaniards and Indians to the property and governance of the New World. ;With greater depth and calm than his Dominican friend, Bartolome de Las Casas, Vera Cruz defended the rights and privileges of the Natives and denounced the injustices inflicted upon them by the Spanish. His philosophical theory offered a practical defense of the Indians. As witness to the spiritual and material sufferings of the Natives, he showed greater awareness and sensitivity to their plight than did his Salamancan teacher, Francisco de Vitoria. Indeed, his treatise, De dominio, reflects the deep affection he had for the Indians and the rich qualities of his heart and mind which he dedicated to their service. ;During Spain's Century of Gold, serious ethical doubts were raised about the Conquest of the Americas. Throughout De dominio, Vera Cruz defends three basic rights of the Indians: the right to their own persons, the right to self-government, and the right to their property. Central to their defense was his conception of dominion. In making his argument, moreover, he brings out what we would call the distinction between objective and subjective rights. This distinction is useful in examining Vera Cruz's claims for the rights and privileges of their persons so that the Natives would find the burden of their life under Spanish rule less oppressive and their new faith more tolerable. ;This dissertation will take into account Vera Cruz's conception of dominion and bring into sharp focus the distinction between objective and subjective rights. With this foundation, Vera Cruz defended the rights and privileges of the Indians and firmly upheld his conviction that the Natives and Spaniards could live together peaceably and to their mutual advantage