Maritime Technology / Catholicism and the New World By Tyler Landrum

Chinese Junk Largest seaworthy ship of the 15th century Could carry 3,000 tons of supplies and goods One ship could carry six times what Columbus’s entire fleet could carry Had small cannons Relied on very accurate crossbows

Chinese Junk vs Portuguese Caravel

The Chinese junk was huge in comparison to the much smaller and more agile Portuguese caravel The junk was more suited for carrying large amounts of goods at one time The caravels traveled in fleets and excelled at seafaring combat

The Caravel Developed by the Portuguese Were much smaller than the European and Chinese ships Could sail in shallow coastal waters and explore upriver They were strong enough to withstand the ocean storms Could use lateen sails for sailing against the wind and mobility Also were able to use square sails for greater speed Had small cannons Labeled as “the best ship that sailed the seas.”

The Catholic Church Felt obligated to convert the native population to Christianity Expanded Christianity on the same scale as during the time of Constantine The quality of indoctrination was poor due to the lack of missionaries Attempted to first convert Amerindian elites, hoping others would follow their example However two Aztec nobles were punished for heresy brought an uprising of the Amerindians This ended the effort for Amerindian clergy

Bartolomé de Las Casas He was a Catholic priest He defended the Amerindians He came and lived of their labor, but was saddened at their deaths He joined the Dominican Order and became the first bishop of Chiapas He established the New Laws of 1542 The New Laws of 1542 outlawed the enslavement of the Amerindians and limited forced labor

Canadian Catholicism The Jesuits were at the head of the efforts to convert people to Christianity in Canada like the did in Brazil and Paraguay They leaned the native languages and created schools for the young boys and girls They built agricultural communities for the converted Amerindians They were successful, establishing churches in Huron and Algonquin territory during a destructive period of disease

Reform in Spanish America and Brazil The Catholic Church was kicked out by the Spanish and Portuguese kings. The Jesuits symbolized the independent power of the church so they kicked anyone belonging the order out This included many colonial born people and closed schools that educated most people in the area