"Extensive examination of debate concerning defeat and destruction of native American cultures. Concentrates on testimonies of Fernández de Oviedo and Bernal Díaz del Castillo as well as Aztec and Inca accounts. Also traces evolution of the controversy through works of Las Casas, Teodoro de Bry, Juan de Solórzano, Servando Teresa de Mier, and others, from the 1500s to the 20th century. Includes 55 of de Bry's illustrations"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.