The Story of Christianity: Volume 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation

by Justo L. González

as he walked along the streets he only greeted blacks and those few whites who supported his work.

Those who had anything to do with him mostly tried to dissuade him from his labors, for they feared that giving the slaves a sense of dignity was a dangerous thing to do.

His death, in 1654, was bemoaned by many who had scorned him while he lived.

The conquest of this vast empire was accomplished by Francisco Pizarro through a combination of luck, daring, and treachery.

Since war, conquest, and enslavement needed a justification, beginning in 1514 it was ordered that, before making war on the native inhabitants, they would be invited to accept Christianity and Spanish rule, on the basis that the pope, God’s representative on earth, had granted these lands to the Spanish, and that this invitation would take place through the reading of the Requerimiento—usually in Spanish, and without benefit of translation.

All the while, Indian resistance continued until as late as 1780.

On the one hand, it supported conquest and exploitation. On the other, some of its members raised vigorous voices of protest.

The enormous wealth of Peru seems to have corrupted even many of the friars,

Among the Indians, some chiefs killed those who accepted baptism, which had now become a symbol of subjection to the invader.

In the New World, however, it was not easy to impose the discipline required by Trent.

the war that was being waged against them was unjust.

Since they were isolated, and knew that they depended on the Indians for their subsistence, the Spanish in Asunción were fairly moderate in their treatment of the Indians.