Evaluate the impact of religious orders in Spanish America.

The question requires that candidates make an appraisal of the impact of religious orders in Spanish America. Effects may extend beyond the timeframe of the section, but they must be clearly linked to the impact of religious orders. A comparative approach between orders and/or countries may or may not be used. Jesuits and Franciscans founded some of the first education centres in the region and taught indigenous peoples to read and write. Dominicans, (for example, de Las Casas), advocated for more humane treatment of indigenous populations. Candidates may appraise the economic and social impact of reductions and missions and/or evaluate their contribution to the struggle against slavery. Candidates may argue that the orders forced religious conversions and destroyed indigenous cultures and languages. Either for context or to illustrate limitations, candidates may refer to other relevant factors, for example the challenge to Spanish colonial authority by Jesuits, Dominicans or Franciscans.

The question required candidates to make an appraisal of the impact of religious orders in Spanish America. There were few responses that addressed specific religious orders. Most responses generalized as to the positive and negative effects in Spanish America, providing quite limited specific examples or detailed analysis.