The curious methods of the Spaniards to compel the Indians to believe in God
On April 4, the president of the Spanish public television, José Antonio Sánchez, made an awkward speech at the Casa de América in Madrid in which he strangely tried to explain the relationship between Spain and Latin America by invoking on numerous occasions the Civilizing spirit with which the European settlers arrived in America.
Although Sánchez himself apologized for the irrational nature of his words, even before he started the speech, he was right: Spain was an evangelizer, even though his effort to convert the Indians to the Christian faith had to do directly with the Process of colonization, we must recognize the work that, especially the mendicant orders, made in devising methods that made their communication with the Indians easier; Not only by adapting themselves to the context of the New World, but by fully understanding their worldview to impose not only a religion but a total order that allowed them to seize the power of the new colony.
The natives had no clear notion of the word sin; Even so, the idea that there was a merciful god who, through repentance, was able to take them to a place like paradise seemed to them extremely attractive.
Not being able to speak Nahuatl, the monks turned to the theater to evangelize the natives. In this way many biblical passages were represented in the atriums or the open chapels of the churches.
In order not to confuse the natives, the evangelists had to change their iconography. The image of Jesus Christ suffering on the cross made them enter into conflict, especially after they were forbidden to make human sacrifices; So they had to change the body of Christ by an image of his face in the center of the tree. Even the meaning of the symbol took a different path: it became a kind of tree of life.
To ensure the faith of the indigenous people, the religious adapted Nahua elements to an image that had been used to evangelize the Moors in Spain; Thus was born the cult of the Virgin of Guadalupe, who, being dark-skinned, made the Indians feel closer to the divine.
The virgin was not the only image that the Spaniards adapted to the Mexican context, the day of San Isidro Labrador coincides with the festivals destined to Tláloc; Likewise, they made the story of Quetzalcoatl coincide with that of Jesus. The intention of these turns was to make the indians think that their customs were not completely removed from Christianity, except that these were a little more primitive.
After destroying temples, idols and codices; The colonists focused their attention on children, especially on the children of chiefs. Once convinced that the customs of their parents were not correct, the Spaniards asked the children to serve as spies of their parents who continued to worship the pagan gods.
From its arrival, the Spaniards understood the importance that the natives gave to the knowledge. That is why the colonizers were concerned to understand the language and customs of their hosts before even talking about their religion. This generated a source of trust in the Indians, which allowed the process of evangelization.
Although the process of colonization allowed in a way the communication of Mexico with the rest of the planet; We must not forget that it was a genocide in the history of the world. To learn more about the atrocities committed on behalf of the Spanish Crown, you can visit this article that talks about the Holy Inquisition, the court that pursued heresy and learn more about their methods of torture.
References:
El Pais
Eva Nuevomundo
UNAM
