Final answer:
The Spanish mission system in Georgia was primarily intended to spread religion, specifically Catholicism, among the indigenous populations. This was part of the wider Spanish colonial strategy to convert and exert control over native peoples, alongside establishing a social hierarchy and territorial buffer zones. Option 3.
Step-by-step explanation:
The intended consequence of the Spanish mission system in Georgia was the spread of religion. This system was established by the Spanish with the goal of not only creating a buffer zone between British and Spanish territories but also to Christianize and acculturate the native populations. Spanish religious missions served to convert the southeastern Indians to Catholicism, often under the pretense of mutual benefit but with the underlying motive of control and domination.
While the British engaged in the Indian slave trade, the Spanish opted to claim territories by spreading Catholicism through missions. These missions were seen by the Spanish as a means to impose their social structure, which was patriarchal and hierarchical, with native peoples and Africans at the bottom. Despite the Spanish intentions, the mission system had various impacts, including the transmission of deadly diseases like smallpox, which led to massive loss of life among the native population.
Therefore, the spread of religion was the primary goal of the Spanish mission system, as evidenced by the extensive number of missions and conversion efforts recorded historically. Missionaries like Dominican friar Bartolome de las Casas worked to bridge the cultural gap between Spaniards and native peoples, demonstrating the emphasis on religious conversion.
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