Este texto propone lo siguiente: pese a la distancia temporal, el “estereotipo del pagano”, construido por la Iglesia católica desde sus orígenes (siglos III y IV), con el fin de consolidar su hegemonía y favorecer la expansión del cristianismo, constituyó la base del “estereotipo del indio”, elaborado por los españoles en el proceso de evangelización de los pueblos americanos en el siglo XVI.   Abstract    This article posits the following: that despite the distance in time, the “stereotype of the pagan”, constructed by the Catholic Church since its origins in the 3rd and 4th centuries for the purpose of consolidating its hegemony and favoring the expansion of Christianity, constituted during the 16th century the basis for the “stereotype of the indian” elaborated by the Spanish during the process of evangelization of the peoples which populated the Americas.