What role did religion play in the spanish conquest of latin america?

Many Spaniards demanded to go to the Americas to proliferate the gospel and convert the Native Americans. Furthermore, religious zeal was one of the three reasons why the Spanish conquered Latin America.

EXPLANATION:

The reasons for the conquistadors were varied but mainly focused on three reasons. Each of these motives would result in the establishment of a Spanish Empire:

1.The first and foremost reason was wealth and power.  

They did not care about the poor and those who were most famous were not who would be considered missionaries. Cortes occupied the Aztecs and by doing that he earned a lot of money. Francisco Pizarro occupied the Incas and by doing so became rich.

2.The second reason was to proliferate Christianity.  

At this point in Spanish history, most people declared to be Catholic and were passionate. They believed it as their task to bring Christianity to unbelievers. Unfortunately, they did it in a way that was so cruel that it did not reflect the message of Christ.  

If the infidels did not surrender, they were inhumanely destroyed. While it was not Spain's intention to oppress unbelievers, the invaders performed in ways that they considered were the best. The lack of liability implied that many people were lost their culture, family, and religion and driven out of their homes.

3.The third reason was economic reasons.  

The Spanish Main turned out to be a place of trade and made Spain an economic powerhouse. The Spaniards hoped to find resources, especially silver and gold, which would drive their treasury and their economy. The Spaniards found a lot of silver and gold in America. Building a colony would also enable Spain to rise its trade. This would also advance the Spanish economy.

LEARN MORE

If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, we recommend you to also take a look at the following questions:

•How did Spain's conquest of central Mexico and the Andes shape European competition in the Americas?

•How we’re Spanish methods of conversion different from those of the French?

KEYWORDS: Spanish conquest, Latin America

Subject  : History

Class  : 10-12

Sub-Chapter: Early Colonialization in America

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