Christian Heritage of Latin America

The discovery of Santo Domingo in 1492 marks the beginning of Latin American church history. There were no priests among the one hundred men aboard the Pinta, the Niña, and the Santa Maria; nevertheless, the seamen were Spanish Christians.

The Catholic Church in Latin America began in earnest with the Spanish colonialization of the Americas and continued through the independence movements of the Spanish-American colonies up to the present day. During the Age of Discovery, the Roman Catholic Church established several Missions in the Americas and other colonies in order to spread Christianity in the New World and to convert the indigenous people. Spreading Christianity to the newly discovered continent was a top priority. One goal was to change the agricultural or nomadic Indian into a model of the Spanish people and society. The missions achieved this by offering gifts and persuasion...and safety from enemies. This protection was also security for the Spanish military operation, since there would be theoretically less warring if the natives were pacified.