Continuity and Change over Time – 1450’s/1750’s Essay Example

mixing of ethnicities and societies in South America.

In the early 1450’s, most of those who presided in South America were Natives, while over times, people such as Creoles and Mestizos came into play. Due to the mixing of cultures becoming more common, allowing for mestizos or the idea of when marriages between Amerindian women and European created children. Mulattos also began to occupy South America in the more tropical areas, which were a combination of European and African descent . Every Mulatto, Creole, or Mestizo was usually placed in a group called a Casta in Spanish America.

Religion in this period began to be forced on South Americans during the time of the Jesuits (Society of Jesus) came in to this region, but failed in converting many people to the monotheistic religion of Christianity. Before the Jesuits, South Americans believed in a polytheistic faith, such of that of the Inca “Sun God” and “Thunder God”. Jesuits, originating in French Canada or Spain, worked hard to convert those to Christianity by mastering native languages, along with creating boarding schools for young boys and girls, along with setting up model agricultural communities for converted Americans.

They established churches throughout the region such as in in Huron and Algonquin territories. While the culture never really adapted to that of the Christian faith but instead continued to have faith in their deity’s. Due to the lack of acceptance, the church in the end redirected its missions and resources to different countries such as French settlements, founding schools, hospitals and churches. In the early years of South America, natives relied on farming to provide an adequate amount of food for their population.

While

the use of plantations helped influx the trade industries due to the surplus in products produced by the plantations. Sugar was a major export in the South American region while main crops produced were sugar and tobacco. This allowed for a better trade system in South America with a high profits. In Conclusion, South America remained a similar region in social, economic and cultural views while also a diverse region between 1450-1750.