Broadly speaking, it could be said that the original people of Latin America, before the European conquest, already had their own theology – diverse in divinities, forms, practices and effect, as these people were themselves diverse. When the Christian message reached these lands, it was influenced by these Indigenous traditions. Therefore, this pre-existing theology cannot be ignored, because of the multiple ways in which it has been mixed, incorporated and syncretised with the theological evolution of the continent.

Christian evangelisation in the first centuries of the conquest was exclusively Roman Catholic. In it, the Christian message played a double role: on the one hand, there was a theology that served to legitimate the conquerors but, on the other, some priests and monks offered an alternative reading of Christian dogma and, in their biblical hermeneutics, sought to defend the integrity and dignity of the subject people. This controversy cannot be ignored, for it continues to constitute a necessary reference in Latin America's theological engagement.

In addition, the successive migrations that the continent has experienced, both from abroad and internally, have left their mark. This is how the diverse cultures that make up the motley mosaic that is Latin America today were formed. Among them, the colonisation by European migrants in the centuries after the conquest should not be ignored. The African presence, forcibly introduced by slavery – which had an impact on forms and styles in music, liturgy, rites, spontaneous expressions and popular religiosity – should also be considered. Account needs to be taken as well of forms other than written theology, although it also has its place.

The formation of Christian theology will always have to do with this process of conquest and violence, conflict, resistance, plurality and diversity, sometimes explicit and sometimes denied, of memory and libertarian anticipation. The myths and rites, the symbols and traditions, the worldview and perceptions, the teachings and hopes that are born from faith in Jesus the Messiah will be remodelled and resignified in these life experiences. They will be rethought amid a society that will always be diverse and in search of freedom and plenitude, rejecting any rigid systematisation. As in the fabrics of our artisans, some threads are lost in the complexity of the plot, but, when the design requires it, they reappear to give colour and shape to the tapestry of our faith.