This is probably one of the biggest collections of topycs, stereotypes and stupid ideas I have seen in this forum. Does anybody read anything on Spanish history ever?
* Greed for money: at least some people have stated that this is a common issue on any state of any era.
* "Fought so many wars": I agree but, when you have so many possessions in the Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe, that is almost impossible to avoid. Some of them could have been prevented (get rid of Hapsburgs and the war in Flanders could be avoided...).
* Spanish economics were quite advanced. In fact the groundings of modern economy were settled by neo-scholastics of the school of Salamanca. They were the first ones to study the temporal value of money, inflation, differences in the value of things, laws of demand... The first modern banks were created in Seville (although they were destroyed by Charles I).
* Proto-industry: there was textile industry in Castile. The problem was that Hapsburg kings favored exports of Wool to Flanders in order to keep the flemish textile makers happy and English wool exporters unhappy. Again get rid of Hapsburg kings and you solve this issue.
* Leyes de Indias: Las Casas WAS taken into consideration... in fact he was taken into consideration before Las Casas. Isabel I condemned Columbus seizing indians as slaves and she considered them subjects of the crown as those in Castile. The situation required regulation because settlers did not obeyed the crown and the laws of Burgos of 1512 were published. Then after the controversy of Valladolid in 1550 the most advanced legislation in the world was published: it protected the american natives to an extent that no other european legislation has ever done (it ever regulated child labour three centuries before british or french legislation!!).
* Slavery: the 1550 legislation had a dark side that was promoted by Las Casas. Anyway african slaves were treated better in Spanish possessions than in any other place (the first Spaniard to grow wheat in Mexico was in fact an African ex-slave; the first military unit formed by afroamericans and led by afroamericans was created in La Florida).
* The amerindians really did not rebelled against the Spanish crown. They were well treated, they languages received written form, there were laws protecting them... in fact when the liberation movements started in the Americas they sided with the crown.