Offers a concise and far-reaching synthesis of the Church's role from the earliest contact between the Spanish and native tribes until the modern day

One cannot understand Latin America without understanding the history of the Catholic Church in the region. Catholicism has been predominant in Latin America and it has played a definitive role in its development. It helped to spur the conquest of the New World with its emphasis on missions to the indigenous peoples, controlled many aspects of the colonial economy, and played key roles in the struggles for Independence. The History of the Catholic Church in Latin America offers a concise yet far-reaching synthesis of this institution’s role from the earliest contact between the Spanish and native tribes until the modern day, the first such historical overview available in English.
John Frederick Schwaller looks broadly at the forces which formed the Church in Latin America and which caused it to develop in the unique manner in which it did. While the Church is often characterized as monolithic, the author carefully showcases its constituent parts—often in tension with one another—as well as its economic function and its role in the political conflicts within the Latin America republics.
Organized in a chronological manner, the volume traces the changing dynamics within the Church as it moved from the period of the Reformation up through twentieth century arguments over Liberation Theology, offering a solid framework to approaching the massive literature on the Catholic Church in Latin America. Through his accessible prose, Schwaller offers a set of guideposts to lead the reader through this complex and fascinating history.

"Schwaller has produced a book that has long been needed in Latin American studies...one leaves reading [him] with vivid details rather than pre-digested summaries." - Journal of Latin American Studies

"Stimulating...Schwaller takes readers on an even-paced and informative journey through 500 years of Catholic history." - Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion

"What Professor Schwaller has accomplished is a rather pleasant review of the pre-Columbian civilizations—the classic Maya, the Aztec and the Inca—followed by the Iberian history of the late Middle Ages and the missionary endeavors of the early Spanish Franciscan and Dominican friars in New Spain and the vice-royalty of Peru and the Portuguese in BrazilThis is his area of specialization, and he tells the story well." - America Magazine

"Schwaller provides a largely cohesive and authoritative narrative, which offers strong judgments about the church during each period under discussion, and seeks to highlight commonalities over regional differences." - Commonweal

"It is comprehensive, providing a good overview of its subject...it appreciates complexity and diversity within the Church." - Missiology

"Schwallers book is ambitious, succinct, and well written; the authors institutional focus is clear and the book is a good source for understanding the interplay between the Catholic religion and history during five centuries in Latin America, [] John Frederick Schwaller fearlessly and clearly champions the churchs role, hierarchy, history, and & divine purpose in Latin America." - H-Net Reviews

"another fine work of synthesis that brings together more than a generation of rich scholarship in the field" - Hispanic American Historical Review