Bartolome de las Casas's A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies stands as one of history's most damning narratives of Spanish colonization that was ever written. Las Casas chronicled gory details of Spanish mistreatment of the native American Indians, an abuse which led to entire communities being wiped out. This account eventually provoked the Spanish crown to enact laws intended to protect the Indians, and earned Bartolome de las Casas the title 'Defender of the Indians.