Esquemas argumentativos en la representación discursiva de los pueblos prehispánicos en las crónicas de indias

Abstract

With the fifth centenary of the discovery of America in 1992, the reinterpretation of the events related to the conquest and colonization of the American continent became significant. Following this event, the analysis of the Chronicles of the Indies, considered indispensable sources for understanding and interpreting the nature of these events, has been revived. However, little reflection has been given to the fact that these works, written by Europeans, contributed to the creation and consolidation of the discourse of power, fundamental to the constitution and representation of the colonial world established by the West since 1492. This text focuses on the Chronicles of the Indies as a form of discourse and analyzes the discursive mechanisms and strategies that ultimately established a negative representation of indigenous peoples as idolaters, barbarians, and savages, and justified the inferiority, exploitation, and extermination of pre-Hispanic peoples.