Moral justification of anatomical dissection and conquest in the Spanish Chronicles of the Indies

•Three dissections described in the Spanish Chronicles of the Indies of the 16th century.•Events are narrated in ways that legitimize Spanish conquest of the Americas.•Ethical controversies about dissection in Europe acquire new meanings in New World.

Three cases of dissections of dead bodies are included in the Spanish Chronicles of the Indies. By reporting on these advanced medico-scientific practices, the chroniclers appear to be confirming the superiority of the conquistadors over the natives and justifying the conquest. However, they problematize this supposed superiority by framing the events in complex scenarios that resound of some of the controversies surrounding dissection in the period. This contradictory treatment of dissection can be interpreted as a manifestation of the conquistadors’ anxiety around being physically identical to the natives except for a fragile, skin-deep veneer of civilized behaviour.