How Did The Catholic Church Contribute To The New World

As the conquistadors came to the New World they encountered the many different clusters of native peoples such as the Maya, Inca, and the Aztec native groups. After and during the conquering of these native peoples, the Spaniards brought colonists as well as representatives of the Catholic Church to the New World. The Catholic Church played a large part in the conquering of the new world by driving their way into the native world and converting the indigenous people as well as weakening the resistance making it easier for the Spanish to take rule and maintain their rule for three hundred years. The Catholic Church played a large role in the ruling of the native’s homeland. One of the first contributions they made to the ruling of

The Catholic faith was to be the ultimate faith of the Ibearian peninsula and thus would have to be the religion of Peru and New Spain. One way that was achieved was through Catholic teachings done by priests. The conversion process was extensive in different aspects such has mass baptisms. According to Clendinnen there was schools created to teach children as well as adults the ways of the church as well as the Christian doctrine and Obedience. The push into the Christian faith was a main contributor of the weakening of the native people, whether they were Mayan or Aztec. As the Church and the Spanish pushed the natives into the Catholic faith, a hierarchy was formed. In some ways it can be shown that the Catholic Church’s hierarchical system can be seen in the colonial system. The Church in the Americas had the priests at a higher position which tends to correspond with the Creoles in the Spanish hierarchical system. This system had many of the Spanish colonists farther up the line with the natives being at the bottom. By keeping the natives at a lower level the system helped keep the indigenous people from rebelling and gaining to much power. The main reason for the conversion process was to bring the indigenous people to Christianity as well as creating the hierarchy. The creation of the hierarchy in not only the church, but also the colonial system, was just another contribution to the