Parlacen honors Fray Antonio de Montesinos for defense of Indigenous rights

Santo Domingo.- The Commission on Indigenous and Afro-descendant Peoples of Parlacen paid tribute on Thursday to Fray Antonio de Montesinos (1475-1540), the Spanish Dominican missionary who, in his 1511 Advent sermon, denounced the mistreatment of indigenous peoples on Hispaniola and called for their rights and dignity to be respected.

Delivered just nineteen years after the discovery of the Americas, Montesinos’ sermon condemned the abuses of Spanish colonizers and urged adherence to charity, justice, and Christian law in dealings with the indigenous population. His advocacy influenced the Laws of Burgos (1512), enacted by King Ferdinand “The Catholic,” which sought to regulate the treatment of natives, and inspired fellow Dominican Bartolomé de las Casas, a lifelong defender of indigenous rights.

The tribute, held at the Montesinos monument in Santo Domingo — inaugurated in 1983 and now a major tourist site — was led by Angola Didiez, president of the Parlacen commission. The institution highlighted Montesinos as a historic figure who “marked a before and after” in the defense of human dignity.