Complex sentence: The priestly hierarchy disappeared in the wake of the Spanish Conquest, and following the desastrous epidemics of the first colonial decades, the priestly functions were restructured to fit within the incipient new order.
Split into simpler sentences: The priestly hierarchy disappeared in the wake of the Spanish Conquest. Following the desastrous epidemics of the first colonial decades, the priestly functions were restructured to fit within the incipient new order.