Nueva Espa？a, Nueva Inglaterra: dos fronteras de cristiandad (siglos XVI y XVII)

carried away by the same missionary optimism, the spanish catholics in mexico and a small number of puritans in new england took a similar view of the amerindian populations they judged worthy of salvation. in these two countries, two different theologies and, especially, two different ecclesiological structures coming from specific traditions led the missionaries to develop mission strategies that were substantially different. however, not all these contrasts arose from their own culture or their missionary choices. in the circumstances, the different characteristics of the two european colonizations, as well as economic, social and cultural particularities of local societies were prominent factors. yet, despite different historical and cultural contexts, these two strategies each gave rise to a cultural hodgepodge with amazing similarities.