The Americas and Religion

Catholicism and the Catholic Church played a significant and major role in the colonization of the New World and subsequent colonization of South America. Although people imagine the Church and State to have worked hand-in-hand in order to meet the goals of colonization and resource collection, the Church and State often were at odds with the Church facing resistance in the Americas from the native populations as seen in 'Letter to Charles V'.

Aside from the constant struggle, Catholicism and the Catholic Church helped fund the voyages to the Americas as well as inspire conversion efforts by the Europeans. Europeans that converted local native populations in the Americas would later help colonizers gain control of the native population and assert their own culture and traditions on the people.

Taking it back to the beginning, Christopher Columbus first set off on his voyage because he believed he had been ordained by God in his purpose to propagate His Gospel and holy name throughout the world. With material conquest fueling spiritual expansion, Columbus soon eventually discovered the Americas and met a new race of people that both intrigued him and motivated him. When Christopher Columbus discovered the Native Americans, he described them as having dark, straight, course hair and well-built bodies.

He also noticed that they could easily be Christianized as they did not have an established religion similar to the Europeans. Without an established religion, they could easily be manipulated into converting to another faith. "They have no religion and I think that they would be very quickly Christianized, for they have a very ready understanding .. "[footnoteRef:1] [1: Garofalo, Leo J. and Erin E. O'Connor. 2011. Documenting Latin America. Boston: Prentice Hall. P.

13.] The lack of armor, weapons, and religion, made the native peoples of the America easy targets for conquest and conversion. Because religion played such an important role in Europe and Catholicism played an important role in Spain, it was easy to see why religious figures and religion began to exert its influence even in a new land like the Americas.

Religion in the mind of the Europeans was not just a way to keep the native populations under control, but as seen in South America, help 'civilize' the native populations and keep them from committing barbaric acts. A line from the Franciscan Reply shows how the people of the Americas were often perceived as savage and described as practicing traditions that led to needless bloodshed. " .. people suffered the cruelest of deaths, and our adversary he demon was very pleased ..

offered to the idols in a single temple and in one sacrifice that lasted three of four days, 80,400 men, whom they ought along four streets."[footnoteRef:2] [2: Lockhart, James and Enrique Otte. 1976. Letters and People of the Spanish Indies, Sixteenth Century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. P. 221.] Some may argue Catholicism had its positive effects on the native people of the Americas.

However, others contend it also had its negatives as Catholicism and the mentality surrounding it made it seem as though all power and right should go to the religion as described in The Requerimiento excerpt. " ..

you acknowledge the Church as the Ruler and Superior of the whole world, and the high priest called Pope, and in his name the King and Queen Dona Juana our lords, in his place, as superiors and lords and kings."[footnoteRef:3] This mentality of superiority was seen in several instances in the early colonization of South America.

With the Spanish soldiers' capture of the great leader Atahuallpa and his subsequent murder, Spanish victory was assured thanks to the gold supplied by the paid ransom and the loss of a 'sun god' by the natives. "Atahuallpa was revered by the Incas as a sun-god and exercised absolute authority over his subjects, who obeyed even the orders he issues in captivity." [footnoteRef:4] [3: Koschorke, Klaus, Frieder Ludwig, Mariano Delgado, and Roland Spliesgart. 2007. A History of Christianity in Asia, Africa, And Latin America, 1450-1990. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans.p.

288.] [4: Diamond, Jared M. 1997. Guns, Germs, And Steel. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. p. 69.] Essentially people from Europe and in particular Spain, saw the natives as gullible, easy to trick and people that could be taken advantage of. Religion then provided the motivation as seen through Christopher Columbus' journey, and the right as seen through the ideology surrounding Catholicism, to take what they wanted and commit any number of acts under the pretense of spiritual expansion and material conquest.

Although Catholicism to some extent did help remove some of the heinous practices that native populations in South America practiced (sacrifice), it also had a negative effect. This is because religious conversion made it easier for native populations to assimilate to.