An example of continuity during this time period is how Spain continued to try to spread Christianity. They spread Christianity to the Americas in an attempt to convert them from “savages”. They expelled anyone who did not follow their religion just as Spain had for years. Conquistadors continued to spread this religion throughout the New World and also killed any opposition.
One example of a change during this time period could be the introduction of the Triangular Trading Route which connected the Americas to Africa and Europe. The implication of this new system of trade was completely new to the natives of the Americas and brought them new goods. The implementation of the new trading route had a primarily negative effect on the natives of the Americas in the sense that it introduced new diseases to the Americas to which the natives were not immune. The reason they were not immune to these diseases was because they were never exposed to them and therefore had no opportunity to build up and immunity to them. These diseases ranged from small pox to measles. They killed millions of natives. This also lead to the start of the slave trade so that a new labor force could be used.
Another example of change during this time period could be how the natives of the New World were forced into Christianity by the Catholic country of Spain. Originally, the natives of the Americas practiced a polytheistic religion which included human sacrifice, cannibalism, and of course multiple gods. When the Spanish arrived to the New World, they were appalled to see the rituals of these natives and thereby forced them into the monotheistic religion of Christianity. The way they thought Christianity was they took a child and educated them on the ways of Christianity and then sent the child back to the tribe to spread the ideas of Christianity. Zheng He