Bartolomé de las Casas

Dear Bartolomé,

The government has allowed me to write this letter to you, I hope you are having a great day.

I am a Taino servant named Juanico, I have just been taken away by the government.

Do you remember the encomienda system? Well, we don’t want to be converted to Christianity,

have you ever thought that we too might have a religion? Christianity has taught men the they

are all created by god. The Taino’s are also created from god, so we should have freedom and the

same rights as you. Though, that is not the case, you are killing parents of children, forcing them

to work in the field all day, and all you give to us is a religion we don’t want. You say you will

protect us but, that is not true. How would you feel if your parents, friends, and siblings died

because of the spanish ? How would you feel working all day in the fields? You just walked up to

our door and claimed to us that we will work for you, after my tribe has suffered from you.

This is not the way my tribe wants to live. Please do something about this Bartolomé,

I don’t want to live as a slave.

From you servant,
Juanico