Strategies of Evangelization and Indigenous Forms of Appropriation of Christianity in the Jesuit Missions of Maynas, 1638-1767

Abstract

Beginning in 1638, Spanish Jesuits established missions among Indians residing on the western fringes of Amazonia, particularly in the Marañón, Napo, and Amazon River Valleys. In this article, I seek to understand the survival and reinvention of indigenous traditions and the ways in which Christian doctrine was translated. I hypothesize that indigenous practices and beliefs shaped the translation of Christianity from one cultural context into another.

Este texto problematiza las formas de apropiación de la doctrina cristiana entre los indios reducidos en las misiones jesuíticas de Maynas. Dichas misiones fueron iniciadas en 1638 en los valles de los ríos Marañón, Napo y Amazonas. El análisis permite divisar la persistencia, bajo nuevas convenciones, de prácticas y formas de pensar nativas, como matrices que informaron la apropiación del cristianismo.