Spaniards killing women and children

What it is

This engraving shows armored Spanish men in ruffled collars attacking naked Native American women and children among trees and hills. A woman hangs, a child is lifted by its legs, and dogs attack figures in the scene. It was made by Joos van Winghe and Theodor de Bry and published in 1598 in the Narratio edition, which illustrated Las Casas's account of Spanish cruelty. The print was made more than thirty years after Las Casas died in 1566.

Why it matters

Las Casas wrote a detailed report of the violence Spanish colonists committed in the Americas. Engravings like this one turned his written words into pictures that could be read and seen by people who never went to the Americas. The images helped shape how Europeans understood Spain's empire. They also show the choices of the publishers, who chose dramatic and disturbing scenes for their readers.

Look closer

• What are the soldiers doing, and how are the victims shown?
• Who made this print, and why might a publisher want to show such violence?
• What does the picture leave out, such as the voices of the people shown or what happened before and after the scene?