Valladolid debate

The Valladolid debate was a formal dispute held in Spain in 1550–1551 on the treatment of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Bartolomé de las Casas defended their rights and humanity, while Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda argued that their conquest and subjugation were justified. Accounts of the Spanish Empire discuss it in the context of colonial governance and the moral questions raised by conquest.