THE SPIRITUAL CONQUEST OF NEW SPAIN: CAUSES AND STAGES - HISTORY - 2025

The spiritual conquest of New Spain is the process developed during the Spanish conquest to convert the indigenous people to Christianity. The term is attributed to the French Hispanist Robert Ricard who, in turn, took it from Father Ruiz Montoya (1639). Other authors prefer to call it evangelization of New Spain.

From just after the discovery, the Catholic kings linked the material conquest to the conversion of the natives. To do this, they obtained permission from Pope Alexander VI in 1493. Years later, Hernán Cortés asked that Franciscan and Dominican missionaries be sent to the conquered regions, to carry out the task more quickly and effectively.

Being a controversial issue, historians point to causes, sometimes conflicting, to explain the interest of the Spanish. Some point out that they used religion to legitimize the conquest of indigenous lands and to change their customs, and thus achieve less resistance.

On the other hand, other experts affirm that Spain still maintained the spirit of the reconquest and that it only intended to convert the pagans to what they considered the true religion.

These same scholars also emphasize that they tried to end bloody customs such as human sacrifice.

Causes

From the different way of calling the process - spiritual conquest or evangelization - it is contemplated that there is a certain division between historians when analyzing the fact. In this way, the causes that motivated the Spanish to start converting the indigenous people are studied from two different prisms.

Some see it as one more maneuver of material conquest and others from a purely religious point of view.

Justification of the conquest

According to the historians who defend the first position, the main cause for the spiritual conquest to take place was the need to seek a justification for the actions in the new continent.

Spain used the Catholic religion as a tool in the expansion of its empire. When she was converting indigenous populations of New Spain, she gained control over them. The Church was a fundamental ally of the Crown and, with the influence gained, could more easily handle the natives.

On the other hand, the Spanish also pointed out that their expansive actions had the legitimacy given to them by divine right and the need to convert the infidels.

Cultural change

That same group of authors offers a second cause for the evangelization produced. In this case, it would be a maneuver to ensure that the indigenous people did not rebel.

The best way to achieve this was to make them lose their culture and embrace Spanish, starting with religion.

Spanishize the indigenous

Related to the previous one but from the opposite point of view, other experts point out that the evangelization process was due to the intention of the Catholic kings and their heirs that the natives were a real part of the empire.

By taking the Catholic religion, the only one allowed at the time, they would become the same in this regard as the rest of the Spanish.

Spirit of reconquest

Spain, after several centuries trying to expel Muslims from the peninsula, was imbued with an evangelizing spirit. In this way, they were convinced of their obligation to fight the infidels and to spread Christianity throughout the world.

Stages

From the first moment the Conquest began, there was a presence of religious in America. His work can be divided into two different stages, to which must be added the beginning of the veneration for the Virgin of Guadalupe, perhaps one of the events that did the most for evangelization in New Spain.

Background

Already the year after the discovery, the Catholic kings received from the hands of Pope Alexander VI the Brief Inter Caetera document of 1493. This authorized the Spanish to evangelize the indigenous people who inhabited the New World.

Years later, during the campaigns undertaken by Hernán Cortés, the conqueror sent a letter to the then king of Spain, Carlos I, requesting that he send missionaries to America to teach the religion to the natives.

Other antecedents were the proclamation of the papal bull Alias ​​Felicis, issued by Leo X on April 25, 1521. With this he authorized the mendicant orders to participate in missions in the new continent.

There was still a third bull, the Exponi Nobis Fecistis of the year 1522. Hadrian VI, successor of Leo X, gave permission to the same orders so that they could administer the sacraments if there was no nearby bishop.

First years of evangelization

The first Franciscans arrived in New Spain in 1523. There were only three of you and they didn't have time to do much. A few months later, on May 15, 1524, the group of Franciscans reached the continent that obtained the nickname of the Twelve Apostles of Mexico.

This group carried out work classified by all sources as very beneficial for the indigenous people. They gave them education and, above all, they prevented the Spanish from mistreating them.

Another of the orders that reached the continent was the Dominicans. On July 2, 1526, 12 missionaries disembarked, but five of them died and four others decided to return to Spain.

During the time they were in America they were not very successful, since they did not enjoy the support of the conquerors. It took a few years for more Dominicans to arrive and found their first convent.

The third great order was the Augustinians. They did develop an intense educational work, in addition to raising a large number of churches and convents.

Second stage

After two decades of evangelizing and educational work by the religious orders, in the 1970s the Spanish changed their way of treating the natives. What marks the change is the arrival of the Jesuits.

From that moment, the State and the Church put aside the educational part, being only allowed to learn crafts.

The Jesuits settled especially in the northern part of the viceroyalty, where they established quite a few missions.

Guadalupe's Virgin

Converting the Indians was not an easy task, especially in the early years. The old beliefs were deeply ingrained and it was not easy to convince them to abandon them.

If something helped facilitate the work, it was the appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe, who became a symbol of the country. According to the legend, it was an indigenous convert to Christianity, Juan Diego, who saw him on the Tepeyac hill. Right there he built a sanctuary, which became a pilgrimage center.

Consequences

The indigenous people did not receive the new beliefs in a very positive way. Many of them refused to abandon their religions and adopt the Catholic one.

This meant that the friars had to use less direct tactics, such as education. In the same way, they learned the languages ​​of the peoples of the area.

The Inquisition reached the continent in 1571, condemning many to death, despite the opposition of some friars. Likewise, these came to face King Felipe II over the issue of slavery.

In neither case did they succeed, so both the death penalty and slavery remained in force.

Viceregal society

Evangelization was a success in the medium term, which contributed significantly to the construction of the society of the viceroyalty. The friars achieved their goal of converting the majority of the Indians, reducing their opposition to the conquerors.

However, the natives preserved part of their traditions and beliefs. In many cases they identified Christian saints with some of their ancient gods, creating a curious hodgepodge.

Cultural loss

The missionaries gave education to the natives, but, at the same time, they were the cause of the loss of part of their culture. Materially, codices, idols and temples were destroyed, since they were considered the work of the devil.

Likewise, they established a process of Hispanicization that ended many languages, which became extinct or were reduced to a minimum expression.

References

1. Education for life. The spiritual conquest. Obtained from si-educa.net
2. Navarrete, Federico. Why the indigenous people accepted Catholicism. Obtained from letraslibres.com
3. UNAM. Conquest of Mexico. Obtained from portalacademico.cch.unam.mx
4. Mexican history. Colonial Mexico. Retrieved from mexicanhistory.org
5. Shmoop Editorial Team. Religion in Spanish Colonization. Retrieved from shmoop.com
6. Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism since 1450. Christianity And Colonial Expansion In The Americas. Retrieved from encyclopedia.com
7. Few, Martha. Invasion and Conquest in Mexico. Recovered from kislakfoundation.org