After the Portuguese had completed their defensive positions of the land they had acquired, events took place that were to have an impact on the socio-religious life of Goans. Since the cross normally followed the flag, the missionaries may have started the process of conversion first in the boundary villages where their soldiers were stationed and they may have moved to central and coastal villages later. The conversion of Goans to Christianity took place during the period 1560 - 1640 after which the missioary zeal seem to have declined. Here we could safely state that the impact of the Lusitanian culture was clearly at its strongest in Old Goa and in the boundary villages where their soldiers were stationed.
And yet, one would have thought that the boundary villages ( not to speak of other less fortunate villages ) would have become model Catholic villages a la any other village in Portugal where all inhabitants lived in spirit of Christian brotherhood. Alas ' after 450 years of Christianity.the more they changed ( especially in the mode of worship and wearing of apparel ), the more they remained the same. The rural society based on the principles of heredity remained stagnant, ''a grande missao civilizadora de Portugal, notwithstanding. Is it any wonder that missionaries were so diasappointed that they were not keen to continue with the conversion work. In the sixteen and the seventeen centuries sea voyages were dangerous undertakings and more Portuguese lives may have been lost in the high seas than in the battles for the acqusition of territories. In Portugal, there may not have been many people who would have volunteered for these dangerous missions overseas. It is possible that sailors and soldiers of lower rank and some missionaries too, were conscripts drawn mainly from the government run orphanages in Portugal. they were not accompanied by the family members and in most cases had none.. May be, for this reason , Albuquerque offered a 'magnanimous' gift to his soldiers after capturing Old Goa. The widows of muslim soldiers who were killed in the battle of Old Goa were given in marriage to his soldiers resulting in the race of mixed people called mestissos. In the next two centuries to come similarly place Portuguese soldiers settled down in Goa with women .to raise their own mestisso families. Thus there is reason to believe that Goa had a substantial population of mestissos whose skin hue was much paler than that of majority of Goans. to be concluded , hopefully, antonio
