Jesuit missions on the Guayrá area on the first decades of the XVII century

Abstract

Jesuits missions on the basin of the Plata River are vastly known on national historiography. From the geographical relationship of the Azara to the last studies of Di Stefano and Zanatta on its "Historia de la Iglesia Argentina ", the history of the "30 towns" on the argentine province of Misiones has been greatly study -and wrote over- in the national history. This is perceptible as much in the idyllic imaginary of communion between Jesuits and guaranies as in the works that shows the complex alliances system that made possible the apparent guaraní­ submission to the spain dominion. But all this images must be considered as the last phase of a long process that -with its forward and backwards - begun at the early XVII century, when the Jesuits started its evangelization chores with the indigenous people. It's our intention to work the first two decades of the foundation and work of Jesuit missions on Guayrá (1609-1629), when the strategies and structures of domination are taking form, the try and error method is and everyday occurrence and the fights between indigenous people, Jesuits, Spanish and Portuguese are framed on such an unstable border as it was the guayrense area at that time.