Evaluate the influence of the Catholic Church in Spanish and Portuguese America.

The question requires that candidates make an appraisal of the Catholic Church, weighing up the importance of its influence in Spanish and Portuguese America. The influence may extend beyond the timeframe, but it must be clearly linked to the issue raised in the question. Candidates may offer equal coverage of Spanish and Portuguese America, or they may prioritize their evaluation of one. However, both regions will be a feature of the response. A comparative approach may or may not be used. Candidates may refer to the role of the Catholic Church in the conversion of indigenous peoples to Christianity and in the development of syncretism, its influence in education or in the abolition of indigenous slavery. Both importance and limitations must be clearly indicated, but there does not need to be equal focus on each. While other relevant factors, such as indigenous resistance, may be referred to, the bulk of the response will remain on the issue raised in the question.