The Language of the Conquerors

One of the most decisive and irreversible consequences of the Spanish conquest of the Americas was the alphabetic revolution which changed the forms of communication in indigenous societies. Writing, paper, and books arrived in the Americas with the conquistadors and were used as weapons by the Spanish to subjugate local populations and impose Christianity on them.

The written word of the conquerors was a key medium of colonisation: orders from the imperial metropole were written down, local resources and valuables were recorded, and books conveyed knowledge coming from Europe. The children of indigenous elites, trained in humanist values, were soon more familiar with Latin and the Bible than with the beliefs of their ancestors, and the use of Latin instilled new modes of reasoning and thought. By imposing European languages and writing systems, the conquistadors also inculcated a belief in the superiority of the written word and even its holiness. Despite this, indigenous people were able to resist alphabetic colonisation in other ways, thanks to their extraordinary creativity.

By putting language, writing, and printing at the centre of his analysis, Serge Gruzinski develops a fresh perspective on the colonisation and conversion of the indigenous people of the Americas and enables us to observe in detail how ideas intermingle when two civilisations collide.

The Language of the Conquerors invites readers to reflect on the profound impact of language and the written word in shaping history and culture.