I am pretty sure that people outside the Hispanic world, are learning a flat uni-dimensional version of the Spanish conquest of America. Hispanic historians across both sides of the Atlantic, have said over and over, that the history of the Spanish Empire is missing one little detail that is ((((((((huge))))))))) with implications. 
Spain had enemies, still does.
There is a saying in Spanish “el que denomina domina” the one who denominates dominates. Word spells, manipulations of narratives, I see it a lot in the Anglo world is almost like witchcraft. Watch Anthony Blinken press conferences for reference.
The main document describing the horrors committed by the Spaniards towards the Indians in South America, was written by Friar Bartolomé de las Casas. Who was he? He was a Franciscan born in a rich family from FRANCE! For him, the Indians of the new world were the most peaceful and noblest of people, without anger or hate. Never mentions the suffering of the Indian people oppressed from other tribes like the Aztecs. Who took their children to eat them and their women to rape them. He never mentions other tribes like the Caribes who took children to barbecue them.
The timing of Bartolomé de las Casas was key. The Spanish conquest of the Americas was stopped for a full year. The Spanish Monarchy wanted to find out what was going on with the native Indians because there were two narratives 1) Most peaceful people in the world Indians 2) Cannibal Indians. After hearing horror story after horror story they wanted to know at this point, if the Indians had a soul. The trial was in the year 1550.
Bartolomé de las Casas wrote in defense of the Indians but he exaggerated many things and his accounts were invented because he was not there. He was what we call now Yellow Press. The question is, Did he do this in good faith to help the Indians? or Was there something else? He was really in a marketing campaign to raise through the ranks of the church. He never learned none of the more than 300 indigenous languages that were spoken. Never mingled with the Indians, unlike the 12 Franciscan monks that evangelized Mexico, who lived with the Indians, learned their language and shared all their struggles. Other Franciscan monks, were more legit than Bartolomé de las Casas who in fact wrote about him and called him a slanderer and charlatan. Where there abuses? Absolutely, some Spaniards had bad intentions and the Catholic monks were basically doing police action, people were put on trial.
The Pièce de résistance came from an historian in the Dominican Republic, a fellow by the name of Antonio Vidal. He points out, that Bartolome de las Casas description of his travel to the Dominican Republic is inaccurate, from the location of the rivers, their dimensions, the whole thing. He concludes the he never went there, or invented a panorama.
During the trial in Spain, Bartolomé de las Casas narration was not accepted. They accepted the case made by Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda. The Indians were to be evangelized and the conquest resume. The protestants were lurking around with their African hate against the Catholics. There is a reason why, Bartolomé de las Casas was called a saint in the Lutheran church. They ran the story all the way to the bank and then some.
Folks that is the start of the so called “Black Legend” of the Spanish Empire. To the Anglo folks, neither the Academia in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Dominican Republic, etc. Accept his accounts as valid. The rest of the world, particularly the Anglo folks, are still running the story of what it is now considered by Hispanic academia as YELLOW PRESS. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that Bartolome de las Casas was being paid, that he was a paid agent. Academia is now entering Dr. Farrell territory, because he retired with a monthly pension of an enormous amount. That has raised eyebrows because that pension was not coming from the church. Probably a French agent, I don’t know.
