Dates
November 5, 2026
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On Thursday, November 5th, at 6:30 pm, Óscar Ramos will give his third and final lecture on the Valladolid Controversy, discussing its consequences.

In August 1550, the classrooms of the College of San Gregorio in Valladolid became the intellectual epicenter of the world. By order of Charles V, the conquests in America were halted to debate an unprecedented moral question: Is it lawful to wage war against the indigenous peoples in order to evangelize them?
The controversy at that time pitted two opposing views against each other:

  • Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda : The humanist who, based on Aristotle, defended "just war." He maintained that Spain's cultural superiority justified the subjugation of the indigenous people for their own good and to eradicate "idolatry."
  • Bartolomé de las Casas : The Dominican friar who denounced the abuses of the conquest. He argued that the indigenous people had souls, full property rights, and that the only path to evangelization was through peace and reason.

Although there was no official "winner," Valladolid marked a milestone: for the first time in history, an empire halted its expansion to question the ethics of its own actions. Today, this debate is considered the precursor to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Free admission until full capacity.

Address and map location

  • Postal address Biblioteca Pública de León - C/ Santa Nonia, 5. municipality of León . NaN. León