Briefly explain why obedience to the Roman Catholic pope was judged to be evidence of obedience to government rulers during Spanish domination of Latin America

The Roman Catholic Pope and the governments that were allies had close ties and worked together for mutual interest.

Explanation:

During the period of colonization, the government rulers of Spain and the Roman Catholic Pope had very close ties. They basically collaborated and in many ways worked together for mutual interest. The mutual interest was basically to retain power and keep the obedience of the masses for that purpose.

If the people were obeying the Roman Catholic Pope, and the majority did, it was not just seen as a religious thing, but also as a political one. Automatically, the rulers of the Spanish empire accepted this as the people obeying them. While this may seem strange, it is not really, since the rulers of Spain had a big influence on the Pope and protected him, while the Pope was doing a double job, political and religious, in keeping people at peace.