Journal 2
In Spanish colonies religion played a structural role in society. The relationship between the church and state at that time was nonexistent, especially when it came to the royals of Spain. Many of the new settlers of the Latin America 's believed that it was their religious destiny to convert the indigenous people to the salvation of Christ. The natives would be gathered into small towns, and many of times these would be organized by missionaries. Within these small towns a governing system that resembles Europe’s was created, which a hierarchical system of governance. These villages functioned like any other town, they maintained well organized records of almost everything; these records are very helpful in learning …show more content…
Convents were founded and led by nuns connected to many prominent families or their towns or of spanish descent. These were places where women could find haven from the chaos occurring around them due to inquisitions, and the overall process of colonization. Often women from prominent backgrounds that lost their husband turned to the religious life and joined a convent, bringing with them their possessions. Many of these convents where very large buildings that some would even resemble a small town, such as the Convent of Santa Catalina in Arequipa, Peru. Although individual nuns swore the vow of poverty, nothing actually prevented the convents themselves from acquiring property. Many nuns actually lived in relative luxury. High positions of nunneries meant that they had considerable power within the society. Due to their accumulation of properties, convents were able to play the role in the society of the money-lenders; some convents became so large and influential that in addition to the slave and servants that the nuns also brought along, large convents such as Santa Clara were granted …show more content…
Some critics spoke about the inhumane treatment of slaves by the slaveholders, but people seldom spoke about the injustice of the enslavement of individuals. The economy of colonial Brazil was based on the forced manual labor of African slavesr. The port of Angola would export from 500-800 slaves with every shipment to the new world, to be sold to the highest bidder. The colonist needed the labor provided by the slaves since there was a high demand of the products and resources that were coming out of the Portuguese and Spanish colonies. Some criticized the manner in which the slaves were being treated, but no one questioned the institution of Slavery. Some religious figures such as Antonio Veiras criticized the manner that slave owners would treat the slaves, but in addition he also criticized the superiority that the slaveholders felt while repressing these human beings. Veiras also noted that inhumane conditions of the slaves imposed on by their master was something abominable. Rebellion did occur due to this; both passive and active rebellion occurred in regions of the Portuguese colonies. There were incidents when violent rebellion occurred, due to slaves revolting against their masters. Slaves killed them and ran away inwards, creating their own villages where they had freedom. Rebel leaders such as Gregorio Luis proposed peace treaties with their masters to come back