Patronato real

So, imagine you have a really cool toy that you want to share with your friend. You might let them borrow it for a little while but you still want to make sure that it stays safe and cared for.

Well, a long time ago, there was something called the Patronato Real which was kind of like this with really important things, like churches and missions. You see, there were some countries, like Spain, who sent people to explore and settle in places like the Americas. And when they did this, they wanted to make sure that the people who lived there would be happy with them and also that the places they built would be taken care of.

So, the Patronato Real was an agreement between the Spanish government and the Pope (who was like the big boss of the Catholic Church) that said the government could build churches and other stuff in the new places they found, but they had to make sure that the Catholic Church was still in charge of the religious and spiritual parts of everything.

Basically, it was a way for the Spanish government to say "Hey, native people! We're building these buildings for you to live in, but the Catholic Church is still in charge of your souls and your religious life. So we're gonna make sure they're involved in everything we do here."

So, it was kind of like sharing your toy with your friend, but still making sure you were in charge of the really important parts.