Spanish Requirement (1513) (El Requerimiento), Definition, APUSH

The Spanish Requirement of 1513 (El Requerimiento) was a document issued by Spain that outlined the rights and responsibilities of the Spanish colonizers in the New World.

The Spanish Requirement of 1513, or El Requerimiento, was a document issued by the Spanish Crown in the early 16th Century that outlined the rights and responsibilities of the Spanish colonizers in the New World. The document stated that the colonizers were required to respect the rights of the native people and convert them to Christianity, specifically the Catholic faith. The Spanish Requirement was often read in Spanish without translation, making it incomprehensible to the natives. Its use as a legal justification for conquest and colonization has been criticized for its coercive nature. It was written by Juan López de Palacios Rubios.

Bartolomé de Las Casas
Council of the Indies
New Laws of the Indies (1542)
Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda
Valladolid Debate

AP US History Alignment

1.4 — Columbian Exchange, Spanish Exploration, and Conquest
1.5 — Labor, Slavery, and Caste in the Spanish Colonial System

Content for this article has been compiled and edited by American History Central Staff.