Las Casas characterized the Native Americans as a peaceful, kind, helpful and respectful people. He saw them as people with great intellectual qualities and morally superior to the Spaniards. He advocated respect for their rights and fair treatment by the Spanish colonizers.
In contrast, Las Casas harshly criticized the Spanish government and the colonists for their brutal and dehumanizing treatment of the natives. He denounced the exploitation of the natives and their subjection to slavery. He pointed out the cruelty of the colonists, who appropriated their lands without compensation, violated their rights and exterminated their peoples. This critical view of Spanish colonization led him to be considered one of the first defenders of indigenous rights.