“The main aim of the Catholic Church in Spanish and Portuguese America was the conversion of indigenous people.” Discuss.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the statement that the main aim of the Catholic Church in the Americas was the conversion of indigenous people. Candidates may offer equal coverage of Spanish and Portuguese America, or they may prioritize their discussion of either. However, both aspects will be a feature of the response. Candidates may refer to the extension of language, culture and political control to alter the nomadic nature of indigenous life; the attempt of pacification (both for security and protection); the establishment of schools and farms for the benefit of the indigenous people and the mission of the Catholic Church to save souls through conversion. Other relevant factors may be addressed, for example the Jesuits’ establishment of “reductions” to protect the indigenous from enslavement, but with a focus on the issue in the question. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the statement that the main aim of the Catholic Church in the Americas was the conversion of indigenous people. This was chosen by a few candidates. Most often, the response was knowledgeable with an almost even split between those supporting the theory and those who asserted economic motives as the main objective of the colony, if not the church.