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Sepulveda

Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda (c. 1490 – 1573) was a Spanish Renaissance humanist, philosopher, theologian, and official chronicler to Emperor Charles V, best known for defending the Spanish conquest and subjugation of indigenous peoples in the Americas as a just war grounded in natural hierarchy.^[1] Drawing on Aristotelian principles, he contended in his treatise Democrates Secundus (1547) that Native Americans, observed to practice idolatry, human sacrifice, cannibalism, and other vices, were "natural slaves" akin to women and children under rational males, thus requiring benevolent European dominion to civilize them—even by force if necessary to end their barbarism and introduce Christianity.^[2]^[1] This position, articulated during the Valladolid debate (1550–1551) against Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas, who advocated for indigenous rights, upheld the encomienda system of coerced labor as a means of tutelage rather than exploitation, reflecting Sepúlveda's empirical assessment of cultural disparities as evidence of innate inferiority rather than mere circumstance.^[2] Though the debate yielded no formal verdict and contributed to restrictive New Laws on encomiendas, Sepúlveda's erudite scholarship—including the first Spanish translation of Aristotle's Politics from Greek—cemented his influence on imperial theology, prioritizing hierarchical order and causal intervention to uplift lesser peoples over egalitarian abstractions.^[3] His views, rooted in firsthand reports from conquistadors and classical philosophy, contrasted sharply with humanitarian critiques but aligned with the era's prevailing rationale for expansion, underscoring tensions between rationalist defense of empire and emerging moral qualms.^[1]

Places

Sepúlveda, Spain

Sepúlveda is a municipality and historic town in the province of Segovia, within the autonomous community of Castile and León, central Spain. Positioned on a rocky outcrop at the confluence of the Duratón and Caslilla rivers, it borders the Hoces del Río Duratón Natural Park, a canyon system known for its biodiversity including griffon vultures and rupestrian hermitages. The town covers approximately 54 square kilometers and recorded a population of 988 residents as of January 1, 2024, reflecting a gradual decline from over 1,000 in prior decades amid rural depopulation trends in the region.^[4]^[5] Human settlement in Sepúlveda dates to the Iron Age, originating as a Celtic castro of the Arevaci tribe around the 4th century BCE, with evidence of continuous occupation through archaeological finds like burial sites and fortifications. Roman influence is evident in infrastructure remnants, including the Talcano Bridge—constructed circa 1st century CE with a surviving arch of limestone masonry—and the nearby Picazos Bridge, alongside traces of a Roman road (calzada) and wall elements incorporated into later structures. Following Visigothic arrival post-Roman era, the site saw repopulation in the 10th century during Christian reconquest efforts, leading to the establishment of medieval defenses around 940–941 CE after the Battle of Simancas; the Fuero de Sepúlveda charter, granted in the 11th century, formalized municipal governance and influenced surrounding territories. The Romanesque architectural peak occurred in the 11th–12th centuries, with the town officially designated a Historic-Artistic Site in 1951 for preserving its medieval urban layout and monuments.^[6]^[7]^[8] Key landmarks include the well-preserved medieval walls encircling the town with seven original gates (puertas), symbolizing its defensive past as the "city of seven gates." Prominent religious sites feature the Church of El Salvador, the province's earliest Romanesque structure dated to 1093 with a single nave and detached bell tower; the 12th-century Shrine of Santa María de la Peña, noted for its distinctive carved tympanum; and smaller churches like San Bartolomé and Santos Justo y Pastor, the latter housing a museum on local fueros. The Talcano and Picazos bridges, of Roman foundation but with medieval reinforcements, facilitate access to the adjacent natural park's trails and viewpoints. Economically, Sepúlveda sustains through tourism drawn to its heritage and outdoor activities, supplemented by traditional agriculture and gastronomy, particularly wood-fired roast lamb (lechazo asado) using local breeds.^[8]^[10]

Sepulveda-area features in California

Sepulveda Boulevard, a major arterial road in Los Angeles County, extends approximately 42.8 miles from the southern boundary of Los Angeles near Long Beach northward through the San Fernando Valley, historically serving as a key transportation route developed from 19th-century wagon roads and officially renamed in 1925 after the Sepúlveda family of early California settlers.^[11]^[12] Sepulveda Pass, a gap in the Santa Monica Mountains connecting the San Fernando Valley to the Westside of Los Angeles, originated as a natural canyon route used by indigenous peoples and Spanish settlers before accommodating modern infrastructure like Interstate 405, with the pass's name deriving from the Sepúlveda family's land grants in the region during the Mexican era.^[13]^[14] Sepulveda Dam, an earthfill structure completed in 1941 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, spans the Los Angeles River near Van Nuys to provide flood risk management for over 155 square miles of the San Fernando Valley, preventing potential inundation of urban areas downstream during heavy rainfall events.^[15] The adjacent Sepulveda Basin, encompassing roughly 2,000 acres of flood control basin and recreation lands managed by the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, includes facilities such as Lake Balboa, Woodley Park, and multi-use trails, supporting public access to green spaces amid suburban development.^[16]^[17] Within the basin, the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve covers 225 acres of restored habitat featuring an 11-acre lake, vernal pools, and native riparian vegetation, which sustains over 200 bird species and serves as a key urban wildlife corridor through ongoing revegetation efforts since the 1980s.^[18] The Sepulveda Tunnel, bored through the pass in 1939 as part of early highway improvements, provided initial vehicular linkage between the valley and coastal areas before being integrated into broader freeway expansions, exemplifying mid-20th-century engineering to traverse the mountain barrier.^[19]

People

Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda (1490–1573)

Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda was a Spanish Renaissance humanist, philosopher, and theologian born around 1490 in Pozoblanco, near Córdoba. He pursued studies in theology, canon law, arts, and philosophy, earning a doctorate from the University of Alcalá and later training in Bologna and other Italian centers, where he engaged with Aristotelian scholarship under influences like Pietro Pomponazzi.^[20] Ordained as a priest, Sepúlveda gained renown for his mastery of Latin and Greek, producing translations of Aristotle's works into Ciceronian Latin and commentaries on classical texts.^[2] In the 1530s, Emperor Charles V appointed him royal chaplain, court historiographer of Castile, and tutor to the future Philip II, positions that integrated him into imperial policy discussions on the Americas.^[21] Sepúlveda's scholarly output included defenses of Spanish imperialism, drawing on Aristotelian natural hierarchy to classify certain peoples as "natural slaves" unfit for self-rule due to deficiencies in reason, virtue, and civilization.^[22] In his 1547 dialogue Democrates Secundus, he argued that Native Americans exhibited barbarism through practices such as human sacrifice, cannibalism, idolatry, and intertribal warfare, justifying Spanish conquest as a just war to impose order, Christianity, and civilized governance.^[2] He posited that, like masters over slaves or adults over children, superior intellect and moral capacity entitled Spaniards to dominate and educate inferiors, citing biblical precedents and natural law.^[22] Sepúlveda's views culminated in the Valladolid Debate of 1550–1551, convened by Charles V to address the treatment of indigenous peoples amid reports of abuses.^[23] Opposing Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas, who advocated full rights and peaceful conversion, Sepúlveda maintained that force was licit against "savage" nations committing "abominable crimes" like innocent sacrifices, which violated natural and divine order.^[2] He emphasized empirical observations of indigenous customs—lacking writing, stable governance, or monotheism—as evidence of inherent inferiority, not merely cultural difference, rendering enslavement or tutelage beneficial for their salvation and progress.^[22] Though no formal verdict emerged, the debate influenced the 1552 reaffirmation of the New Laws, curbing encomienda excesses, while Sepúlveda's treatise faced ecclesiastical scrutiny for potential heresy in equating non-Christians with subhumans.^[23] Sepúlveda continued scholarly work until his death on 17 November 1573 in Córdoba, producing over 40 volumes on theology, history, and philosophy, including anti-Reformation polemics and imperial chronicles.^[24] His Aristotelian framework, grounded in hierarchical causality and observed behaviors rather than egalitarian abstractions, defended conquest as a civilizing imperative, though modern critiques often highlight its role in rationalizing exploitation; contemporaries valued his erudition amid theological rigor.^[20]

Sepulveda family in early California

The Sepulveda family, originating from Sinaloa, Mexico, established a prominent presence in Alta California during the Spanish colonial period through Francisco Xavier Sepúlveda (c. 1742–1788), a Mexican colonial soldier who arrived in 1781 with his wife, María Candelaria de Redondo (c. 1746–1804), and their six children as part of the José de Zúñiga Expedition to reinforce the northern frontier settlements.^[25]^[26] Settling in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles, Francisco Xavier contributed to early civic and military duties before his death in 1788.^[27] His sons, including Juan José Sepúlveda (c. 1764–1808) and Francisco Sepúlveda (c. 1775–1853), expanded the family's influence, with Francisco marrying Ramona Teodora Serrano on October 19, 1802, and fathering 14 children while engaging in ranching and local governance.^[27] During the Mexican era following independence in 1821, the family secured multiple large ranchos through petitions to governors, leveraging military service and kinship ties under the secularization policies that redistributed former mission lands after the 1833 Secularization Act. Francisco Sepúlveda obtained provisional title to the 30,260-acre Rancho San Vicente y Santa Mónica in 1828, formally confirmed by Governor Pío Pico on June 20, 1846, for cattle grazing and hide production in the area now encompassing parts of Los Angeles and Santa Monica.^[27] José Andrés Sepúlveda (1802–1875), born in Los Angeles and married to Francisca Ávila around 1826 with whom he had 16 children, received the Cienega de las Ranas grant on April 15, 1837, from Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado, and confirmation of the expansive 48,803-acre Rancho San Joaquín on May 13, 1842, stretching from Newport Bay to Laguna Canyon; by the 1850s, his operations included 14,000 cattle and 3,000 horses, supplying beef to Gold Rush markets.^[28] In 1846, José Loreto Sepúlveda and associates were granted the 31,000-acre Rancho Palos Verdes, patented in 1852 after U.S. confirmation.^[27] José Sepúlveda also acquired portions of Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana in 1854 through purchase.^[28] Family members held key administrative roles reflective of their status as Californios, including service as alcaldes (mayors) and regidores (councilmen) in Los Ángeles and surrounding pueblos. Diego Sepúlveda (c. 1821–1869), a grandson or nephew in the lineage, served as alcalde of Los Ángeles and owned the Diego Sepúlveda Adobe (built c. 1818–1823), an estancia on Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana used for overseeing cattle herds post-secularization.^[29]^[30] José Sepúlveda similarly acted as alcalde of Los Ángeles around 1850.^[31] The family's economic base centered on vaquero-managed ranchos producing hides, tallow, and livestock, supplemented by horse breeding and racing; notable events included match races like Black Swan against Sarco in 1852 near Los Ángeles, underscoring their cultural integration in Californio society.^[27] These holdings and roles positioned the Sepulvedas among the elite ranchero class until the U.S. conquest and subsequent land loss via legal validations and economic pressures.^[28]

Other notable individuals

Luis Sepúlveda (4 October 1949 – 16 April 2020) was a Chilean novelist, playwright, and political activist whose works often explored themes of exile, environmentalism, and indigenous rights, drawing from his experiences in the Amazon. Born in Ovalle, Chile, to a family with a communist background, he joined the Chilean Communist Party at age 16, studied at the University of Santiago, and became involved in theater and activism. Following the 1973 military coup led by Augusto Pinochet, Sepúlveda was imprisoned for three years, subjected to torture, and exiled to countries including Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and eventually West Germany, where he resided from 1977 onward. His breakthrough novel, The Old Man Who Read Love Stories (1989), sold over a million copies and was translated into multiple languages, reflecting his time living among indigenous groups in Ecuador. Sepúlveda authored more than 20 books, including children's literature and essays on ecology, and remained a vocal critic of authoritarianism until his death from COVID-19 complications in Oviedo, Spain.^[32]^[33] Daniel Sepulveda (born 12 January 1984) is a former professional American football punter who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A native of Austin, Texas, he attended Baylor University, where he set the NCAA FBS record for career punting average at 44.68 yards over 272 punts from 2003 to 2006. Selected by the Steelers in the fourth round (112th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft, Sepulveda appeared in 52 games across five seasons (2007–2011), recording 221 punts for 9,657 net yards with a 43.7-yard average, including a career-long 66-yard punt in 2011. His tenure included two Super Bowl appearances, though knee injuries limited his play and prompted his release in 2011; he briefly attempted comebacks with other teams but did not return to the league.^[34]^[35] Charlie Sepúlveda (born 1958) is a Puerto Rican trumpeter, composer, bandleader, and educator prominent in Latin jazz circles. Raised in Luquillo, Puerto Rico, he studied at the Escuela Libre de Música de Puerto Rico and City College of New York, developing a style fusing hard bop, salsa, and Afro-Cuban rhythms; he has led the ensemble Charlie Sepúlveda & The Turnaround since 1987. A professor at the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico, Sepúlveda has released over a dozen albums, earning a 2020 Latin Grammy for Best Salsa Album with To Beny Moré: A Tribute. His post-Hurricane Maria (2017) efforts in Puerto Rico included environmental conservation and community rebuilding through music initiatives.^[36]^[37] Juan Sepúlveda (born 1973) is an American political strategist and media executive known for his role in Democratic campaigns and public broadcasting. A graduate of Harvard College (B.A. in Government, 1995), he earned a B.A. in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and an M.A. from Stanford University. Sepúlveda served as national director of Hispanic media for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and later as a senior policy advisor in the Obama administration's Office of Public Engagement. In 2014, he joined PBS as Senior Vice President of Station Services, overseeing affiliate relations and digital strategy until 2020.^[38]^[39]

References

[1]
Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda (1490-1573 - The Latin Library
Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda: Concerning the Just Cause of the War Against the Indians (1547) The Spanish have a perfect right to rule these barbarians.
[2]
Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda (1547) - Digital History
The man rules over the woman, the adult over the child, the father over his children. That is to say, the most powerful and most perfect rule over the weakest ...
[3]
[PDF] Juan Gines de Sepulveda Belittles the Indians (1547)
Juan Gines de Sepulveda was an outstanding example of the “Renaissance man”. A Spaniard who studied in the cradle of the Renaissance, Italy, he achieved fame as ...
[4]
Sepúlveda se aleja de los mil habitantes de población
Dec 15, 2024 · Según los datos oficiales hechos públicos por el Instituto Nacional de Estadística, a fecha 01/01/2024, Sepúlveda cuenta con 988 habitantes ...
[5]
Segovia: Población por municipios y sexo. (2894) - INE
Cifras Oficiales de Población de los Municipios Españoles: Revisión del Padrón Municipal: Segovia: Población por municipios y sexo. Anual. Municipios.
[6]
Reseña histórica - Ayuntamiento de Sepúlveda - dipsegovia.es
En la Edad de Hierro, Sepúlveda surge como un castro céltico de la tribu de los arévacos. En la época romana, los restos encontrados en Duratón en 1.791 y 1. ...
[7]
El puente de Talcano, Sepulveda, Segovia - Arquitectura popular
Se trata de los restos de un antiguo puente de origen romano, del que solo queda un ojo, construido alrededor del siglo I d.C. cerca de Sepulveda, ...Missing: bridge | Show results with:bridge
[8]
Tourism in Sepúlveda. What to see. Tourist information | spain.info
Declared a Historic-Artistic Site in 1951, Sepúlveda reflects the influence of the Romanesque style in its monuments and streets.
[9]
Historia - Turismo de Sepúlveda
Elementos romanos hay en la muralla de la villa, como también lo son los puentes Talcano y Picazos y los restos de la calzada. Los visigodos llegaron tras los ...
[10]
Sepúlveda | Portal de Turismo de Castilla y León
Address · Postal address Plaza del Trigo, 1. municipality of Sepúlveda . 40300. Segovia · Email. info@sepulveda.es · Web. www.sepulveda.es · Phones. 921 540 505.Missing: Castile statistics
[11]
Sepulveda Boulevard Is LA's Longest Street Dating Back Millennia
May 21, 2025 · The street developed into a wagon road in the 19th century, although the “Sepulveda” name didn't come into play until 1925. This name comes from ...
[12]
Sepulveda Boulevard - L.A. Street Names
Sepulveda Boulevard was originally Military Avenue, renamed in 1925. The name comes from the Sepúlveda family, and it was once the longest surface street in L. ...
[13]
The Pass in the Past: A Brief History
THE SEPULVEDA PASS was named for the Sepulveda family, descendants of an early Los Angeles settler, Francisco Xavier Sepulveda, a soldier in the Spanish army ...
[14]
How Sepulveda Canyon Became the 405 | Lost LA - PBS SoCal
Jun 27, 2017 · L.A.'s most hated stretch of freeway began as a bucolic country road through the Santa Monica Mountains.<|separator|>
[15]
Sepulveda Dam - US Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles
Sepulveda Dam is vital for flood risk management of portions of the San Fernando Valley and areas contiguous to the Los Angeles River.Missing: features | Show results with:features
[16]
Sepulveda Basin Vision Plan Project | Bureau of Engineering
The Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area is an approximately 2,000-acre flood management basin located in the San Fernando Valley near the intersection of the 101 ...
[17]
Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area - Los Angeles - LAParks.org
17017 Burbank Blvd., Encino, CA 91316 Region Valley Council District 6 Neighborhood Service Area North Valley Phone (818) 756-8188
[18]
Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve
featuring an 11-acre lake with an island and wildlife viewing stations. Various revegetation projects have been undertaken since then.Flora · Contact us · Public Documents · FaunaMissing: geographical | Show results with:geographical
[19]
Sepulveda Tunnel - Historic Places Los Angeles - Resource Report
A major municipal tunnel project, providing vehicular passage through the Sepulveda Pass and connecting the San Fernando Valley to West Los Angeles.
[20]
Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda on the Nature of the American Indians
Dec 11, 2015 · Educated in Italy, disciple of Pomponazzi, translator of Aristotle, chronicler of the Emperor and mentor of his son Philip, Sepúlveda is best ...Missing: career held
[21]
https://epicworldhistory.blogspot.com/2012/05/juan-gines-de-sepulveda.html
[22]
The Great Debate | Christian History Magazine
Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda Sepúlveda, a distinguished scholar of Aristotle, was official historian of the Spanish crown. In 1547 he wrote The Second Democrates to ...
[23]
The Valladolid Debate on the Rights of Indigenous People
Aug 8, 2023 · The two disputants were humanist scholar Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda and Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas. Both agreed evangelism, the ...Missing: birth death education works
[24]
Sepúlveda, Juan Ginés de, 1490-1573 | DLL Catalog
Iohannes Genesius Sepulveda. Author Name Native Language. Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda. Author Birth Date. 1490 A.D.. Author Death Date. 1573 A.D.. Floruit/Active.Missing: exact | Show results with:exact
[25]
Early Los Angeles History | CSUN University Library
Jun 25, 2013 · Francisco Xavier Sepúlveda was a Mexican colonial soldier, who came to Alta, California with his wife and six children in 1781. Two of ...
[26]
The First Families of Los Angeles - Indigenous Mexico
Oct 2, 2025 · The Sepúlveda family is a famous first family of Los Angeles. ... Manuel requested and received a land grant of about 300,000 acres in the ...
[27]
None
### Summary of the Sepulveda Family History in Early California
[28]
[PDF] From Mexican Land Grant to Great Irvine Ranch
In 1831 Don José Andrés Sepulveda (1802-1875) received the first of two Mexican land grants for the 48,803-acre Rancho San. Joaquin. Sepulveda had the largest ...
[29]
CHL No. 227 Diego Sepúlveda Adobe - Orange
After secularization the property became part of Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana ... Don Diego Sepulveda, a former alcalde of the Pueblo de Los Angeles.
[30]
Diego Sepúlveda Adobe (Landmark #227)! - The Bill Beaver Project
Nov 12, 2012 · OTHER TIDBITS: Don Diego Sepúlveda was formerly the alcalde (mayor) of Los Angeles. This was one of several of his adobe homes. This one was ...
[31]
Jose Sepulveda, Alcalde of Los Angeles, Photo about 1890
Title: Jose Sepulveda, Alcalde of Los Angeles, Photo about 1890; Creator: Pierce, C. C. (Charles C.), 1861-1946; Date Created and/or Issued: 1885
[32]
Luis Sepúlveda, Chilean Writer Exiled by Pinochet, Dies at 70
Apr 20, 2020 · Mr. Sepúlveda was born on Oct. 4, 1949, in Ovalle, a small city in central Chile. His father owned a restaurant and was a Communist militant ...Missing: biography | Show results with:biography
[33]
Chilean author, campaigner and escapee Luis Sepúlveda dies aged ...
Apr 16, 2020 · The celebrated Chilean author Luis Sepúlveda, who was exiled by the dictator Augusto Pinochet in the 1980s, has died from Covid-19.
[34]
Daniel Sepulveda Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College
Daniel Sepulveda played 52 games over his career. How many punting yards did Daniel Sepulveda have? Daniel Sepulveda had 9,657 punting yards over his career.
[35]
Daniel Sepulveda - Pittsburgh Steelers Punter - ESPN
DanielSepulveda ; Birthdate. 1/12/1984 ; College. Baylor ; Draft Info. 2007: Rd 4, Pk 112 (PIT) ; PUNTS. 221 ; AVG. 43.7.
[36]
Charlie Sepúlveda's Conservation Work Swings … Both Ways
Feb 22, 2022 · The morning after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, trumpeter Charlie Sepúlveda looked around his town of Luquillo and saw mostly ...
[37]
Charlie Sepulveda - mm music agency
World-Class Trumpeter, Composer, Bandleader, Educator, and Latin Grammy ... Puerto Rico, and a professor of the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico.
[38]
Juan Sepúlveda Named New PBS Senior Vice President, Station ...
Jan 9, 2014 · A graduate of Harvard College with a B.A. in Government, Mr. Sepúlveda also holds a B.A. in Politics, Philosophy & Economics from Oxford ...Missing: notable | Show results with:notable
[39]
Juan Sepúlveda - Avance Proximo
Juan Sepúlveda is a Rhodes Scholar, Obama's Hispanic strategist, SVP at PBS, and a political strategist. He has degrees from Harvard, Oxford, and Stanford.