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Spanish missions in the Americas
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The Spanish missions in the Americas were Catholic missions established by the Spanish Empire during the 16th to 19th centuries in an area extending from Mexico and southwestern portions of what today are the United States to as far south as Argentina and Chile.
Contents
[hide]
1 Introduction
2 Noted Bias
3 Spanish Colonialism
4 Catholic Orders
4.1 Franciscan
4.2 Jesuits
4.3 Dominicans
5 See also
6 References
Introduction[edit]
At the start of the Age of Discovery, European governments sent explores to find trade routes to facilitate economic relations with Asia and Europe. During this time, these men found the new lands that could be used for the economic benefit of their home countries. In order to understand these new lands and the resources that might be available, explorers fostered relationships with the native people. This led to the colonization of the Americas. The Catholic church was an essential part of both the Spanish and Portuguese Empires so as the empires spread to new lands it was the duty of the King to be sure Christianity was spread into the New World.
Often these empires used missions to teach indigenous people about Christian values. Missions were formed in different ways across the Americas and has had a lasting impact on the culture of these areas. Catholicism is still a prevalent religion in both North and South America. The formation and implementation of the missions across the New World reflected the beliefs of the Catholic clerics who created and implemented the missions. In the Catholic church, monks priests and other clerics take vows and are affiliated with a certain order. These orders, their ideologies, and era can be linked to the way of life and teaching in the missions.
Noted Bias[edit]
Despite extensive efforts and even successes in recovering the cultural history of the cultures colonized in the Americas, much of the evidence currently available comes from the colonizers themselves. Many of the cultures impacted by missionaries had no written language and were thus robbed of much of their oral history when the populations were decimated by Old World illnesses[1]. Cultures that did possess written language, such as the Maya, often had their artifacts deemed sacrilegious and burned[2]. Therefore, much of the evidence of these events come from accounts of missionaries and--to a much smaller extent--archaeological investigation and should be subsequently handled with care. Therefore, readers should consider the ethnocentric and theocratic context in which accounts recorded by missionaries are presented.
Spanish Colonialism[edit]
Catholic missions were the first step in effort to establish European order in the Americas in the pursuit of gold, silver, and other resources. The missionaries’ goal was to convert natives to Christianity and ease the transition into a colonial system and minimize the friction required to establish European dominance in the area.[3] One symbolic example of this was the practice of constructing churches and cathedrals, such as Santa Domingo and Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, on top of demolished native temples.[4] Establishment of missions were often followed by the implementation of Encomienda systems, which forced native labor on land granted to Europeans by the Spanish Crown and led to systematic oppression.
Catholic Orders[edit]
Franciscan[edit]
Franciscan missionaries were the first to arrive in New Spain in 1523 following the Cortes expeditions in Mexico and soon after began establishing missions across the continents.[5][6] In addition to their primary goal of spreading Christianity, the missionaries studied the native languages, taught children to read and write, and taught adults trades such as carpentry and ceramics. The first missionaries to arrive to the New World were Franciscan monks from the observant faction which believed in a strict and limited way of practicing religion. Because the monks believed teaching and practicing can only be done through “meditation and contemplation” Franciscans were not able to convert as many people as quickly as the Spanish would have liked. This caused strain between colonial governments and Franciscan friars which eventually led to several of the friars fleeing to present day western Mexico and the dissolution of Franciscan parishes. Other issues also contributed to the dissolution of Franciscan parishes including the vow of poverty and accusations made by the colonial governments. however, Spanish missions often used money provided by the King to fund missions. Because monks were taking money this proved to be a controversial issue within the church. In addition, the colonial government claimed missionaries were mistreating indigenous people who were working on the missions. On the other hand, the Franciscan missionaries claimed that the Spanish government enslaved and mistreated indigenous people. In present day, Franciscan missionaries are well known for efforts to protect the indigenous people from Spanish cruelties and supported empowering the native peoples.[dubious – discuss][7]
Jesuits[edit]
The Jesuits had a wide-spread impact between their arrival in the New World about 1570 until their expulsion in 1767. The Jesuits followed a widespread Spanish practice of creating settlements called "reductions" to concentrate the Indian population in order to better rule, Christianize, and exploit Indian labor. The Jesuit Reductions were socialist societies in which each family would receive a house and field, and individuals were clothed and fed in return for work. Additionally, the communities would include schools, churches, and hospitals as well as a Indian leaders and governing councils to be overseen by two Jesuit missionaries in each reduction. Like the Franciscans, the Jesuit missionaries learned the local languages and trained the adults in European methods of construction, manufacturing, and, to a certain extent, agriculture.
Spanish settlers were prohibited from living or working in reductions. This led to a strained relationship between Jesuit missionaries and the Spanish because in surrounding Spanish settlements people were not guaranteed food, shelter, and clothing. [8]
Dominicans[edit]
The Dominicans were centralized in the Caribbean and Mexico and, despite a much smaller representation in the Americas, had one of the most notable histories of native rights activism. Bartolomé de Las Casas was the first Dominican bishop in Mexico and played a pivotal role in dismantling the practice of “encomenderos” with the establishment of the New Laws in 1542 which essentially validated enslavement of natives.[9]
See also[edit]
Franciscan missions to the Maya
List of Spanish missions
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "The Impact of European Diseases on Native Americans - Dictionary definition of The Impact of European Diseases on Native Americans | Encyclopedia.com: FREE online dictionary". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
Jump up ^ 1524-1579., Landa, Diego de, (1978). Yucatan before and after the conquest. New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 9780486236223. OCLC 4136621.
Jump up ^ "History of Spanish Colonial Missions | Mission Initiative". missions.arizona.edu. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
Jump up ^ "Cathedral of Cusco City". www.qosqo.com. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
Jump up ^ "Religion and society in New Spain: Mexico's Colonial era : Mexico History". www.mexconnect.com. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
Jump up ^ Higham, Carol L. (2016-05-09). "Christian Missions to American Indians". doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.001.0001/acrefore-9780199329175-e-323.
Jump up ^ Technology, Missouri University of Science and. "Library Proxy Server". Retrieved 2017-11-03.
Jump up ^ "Bartolome de Las Casas | Biography, Quotes, & Significance". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
Jump up ^ "Bartolome de Las Casas | Biography, Quotes, & Significance". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
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