The evangelization and colonial education of the indigenous had its nuances because from the beginning of the conquest a double problem linked to the nature of the indigenous was raised. On the one hand they were subjects of the Crown of Castile , in which case they couldn't be enslaved, or if they weren't then they could become a commodity. On the other hand, the nature of the relationship between the conquerors and the natives had to be defined. The initial discussion centered around whether the Indians were barbarians or infidels who could be enslaved, or whether they were pagans who should be evangelized. When Columbus realized that gold was not abundant in the Caribbean islands, he tried to develop a method that had provided the Portuguese with important benefits in Africa:the sale of slaves. Given the profits that could be obtained, the Crown agreed to the Admiral's request, but some theologians close to the Catholic Monarchs opposed it, claiming that since the Indians were pagans, they should first be initiated into the faith and only when they explicitly rejected it could they be considered unfaithful. In this way, Queen Elizabeth declared that the indigenous people were free and not subject to servitude .
Evangelization was the process that, led by the Spanish Church , enabled the mass conversion of Native Americans to Christianity. However, the Indians did not respond in the same way in all places, nor were the material and spiritual stimuli the same, which is why the rhythms and characteristics of evangelization had to adapt to regional patterns. All the indications point to the fact that the Christianization of the indigenous people was faster in Mexico and Peru and slower in some peripheral areas. Marco Palacios and Frank Safford point out that the clerics who arrived on the Atlantic coast of Colombia did not stay there long, since the indigenous communities in the area were quite poor and could not guarantee the good life of the doctrineros. The religious chose to go to Peru or to other regions where the Indian population was more numerous.
In the initial moments of the conquest and colonization, religious orders played a central role in indoctrination of the indigenous, being more predisposed to relate to the indigenous than the secular clergy. In a short time, the presence of religious was consolidated in America and by the end of the 16th century, between 5,000 and 5,500 monks had already arrived in America, including 300 Mercedarians, 2,200 Franciscans, 1,670 Dominicans, 470 Augustinians and 350 Jesuits. This overpopulation of friars, with the consequent conflicts between the orders, each with its particular method of indoctrination and loyalties, made it necessary to order the spiritual conquest territorially. In this way, from 1563 it was established that all the new monasteries that were built in a province should depend on the same order, which did not prevent the traditional ones from having large and imposing conventual parishes in the main cities.
Colonial Education
The Crown's colonial education policy promoted the creation of schools for Indians and mestizos, while neglecting the teaching of Spanish children.
Schools such as San Bernardo de Cuzco they were exceptional. The situation was different in higher education, since admission to universities was prohibited to those who were not Spanish. Teaching for the indigenous was centered in the schools of the regular orders. The first school was founded by the Franciscans in Santo Domingo in 1513, next to their convent. In the mid-sixteenth century the Franciscans had about 200 schools in Mexico, and the Dominicans about 60 in Peru. Some establishments focused on the education of the children of the caciques. This was the case of the Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco school, founded in 1536, which had up to a thousand students and served as a model in Puebla, Bogotá, Quito or Lia. The Colegio de San Juan de Letrán, created in 1547, was for mestizos. Many teachings of arts and crafts, such as the one founded by the Franciscans in Mexico. School-workshops were also seen in the village-hospitals of Vasco de Quiroga. A part of higher education was in charge of religious orders, especially Jesuits and Dominicans. In this sense, the major or official universities founded in Mexico and Lima in 1551 differed from the minor or religious ones, linked to some college or convent. The creation of these universities required a double authorization:papal and royal.
The first was created in 1538 in Santo Domingo and throughout the 16th century others arose in Lima (Universidad Mayor de San Marcos), La Plata, La Paz and Quito. In the 17th century, the Royal and Pontifical University of San Carlos was founded in Guatemala, and two were created in Quito and Bogotá, including the Javeriana, along with others in Cuzco, Chuquisaca and Córdoba.