The History of the Catholic Church in Latin America : From Conquest to Revolution and Beyond

One cannot understand Latin America without understanding the history of the Catholic Church in the region. Catholicism has been predominant in Latin America and it has played a definitive role in its development. It helped to spur the conquest of the New World with its emphasis on missions to the indigenous peoples, controlled many aspects of the colonial economy, and played key roles in the struggles for Independence. **The History of the Catholic Church in Latin America** offers a concise yet far-reaching synthesis of this institution’s role from the earliest contact between the Spanish and native tribes until the modern day, the first such historical overview available in English. John Frederick Schwaller looks broadly at the forces which formed the Church in Latin America and which caused it to develop in the unique manner in which it did. While the Church is often characterized as monolithic, the author carefully showcases its constituent parts—often in tension with one another—as well as its economic function and its role in the political conflicts within the Latin America republics. Organized in a chronological manner, the volume traces the changing dynamics within the Church as it moved from the period of the Reformation up through twentieth century arguments over Liberation Theology, offering a solid framework to approaching the massive literature on the Catholic Church in Latin America. Through his accessible prose, Schwaller offers a set of guideposts to lead the reader through this complex and fascinating history. MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 Introduction 12 1 Religious Origins of Catholicism in Latin America 24 2 Spain and Portugal in the New World 44 3 Conquest—Spiritual and Otherwise 63 4 The Colonial Church 82 5 Reform and Enlightenment 107 6 The Church and Clergy at Independence 128 7 Working Out the Differences 154 8 The Established Order and the Threat of Popular Religion 177 9 Revolution and Reform 200 10 The Mid-Twentieth-Century Church 224 11 The Decline of Liberation Theology 242 Conclusion 277 Glossary 288 A 288 B 288 C 288 D 288 E 289 F 289 H 289 L 289 M 289 N 289 O 289 P 289 R 290 S 290 T 290 V 290 Notes 292 Bibliography 300 Index 314 A 314 B 315 C 315 D 318 E 319 F 319 G 320 H 320 I 321 J 321 K 321 L 321 M 322 N 323 O 324 P 324 Q 325 R 326 S 326 T 328 U 328 V 328 W 329 X 329 Y 329 Z 329 About the Author 330 Offers a concise and far-reaching synthesis of the Church's role from the earliest contact between the Spanish and native tribes until the modern day