ChapterVI
DescriptionofthemissionterritoryandtownsfoundedbytheJesuits
TheirendeavourstoattracttheIndians
Religiousfeastsandprocessions
AgriculturalandcommercialorganizationsWiththedeathofCardenasthemostdangerousenemytheJesuitseverhadinParaguayhaddisappeared。Theyworstedhim,anddrovehimfromhissee;butthemovementsetonfootbyhimandthecalumnieshelevelledattheirOrderstillremainedandflourished,andintheendprevailedagainstthemanddrovethemfromtheland。
Acalumnyishardtokill;mankindingeneralcherishit;
theyneverletitdie,and,ifitlanguishes,resuscitateitunderanotherform;theyholdtoitinevilandingoodrepute,sothat,oncefairlyrooted,itgoesongrowinglikeaforest
treethroughoutthecenturies。Therefore,thechargesagainsttheJesuitsinParaguay,whichCardenasfirststarted,arewithusstill,andwarpourjudgmentastothedoingsoftheOrderinthemissionsoftheParanaandUruguayevenuntilto
day。
ButneithercalumnynortheraidsofthePaulistas,noryetthejealousyoftheSpanishsettlersinParaguay,deterredtheJesuitsfromtheprosecutionoftheirtask。Themissionsgraduallyextended,tilltheyrangedfromSantaMarialaMayor,inParaguay,toSanMiguel,inwhatisnowBrazil;andfromJesus,upontheParana,toYapeyu,upontheUruguay。Mostofthecountry,withtheexceptionofthemissionsofJesusandTrinidad,upontheParana,whichto
day,atleast,areonlyclearingsintheprimevalforest,iscomposedofopenrollingplains,withwooduponthebanksofallthestreams。Coveredasitwasandiswithfine,shortgrass,itformedexcellentcattle
breedingcountry,andhencethegreatindustryoftheIndianswastolookafterstock。
Thecountrybeingsofavourableforcattle,theymultipliedimmoderately,sothatinthevariousestablishments`estancias\',accordingtotheinventoriespublishedbyBrabo,theirnumberswereimmense。
Atthedateoftheexpulsionthenumberofthecattlewas719,761;oxen,44,183;horses,27,204;sheep,138,827
`Inventariosdelosbieneshalladosa/laexpulsiondelosJesuitas\',FranciscoJavierBrabo,Madrid,1872。
Theseopenrollingplains,calledbythenatives`camposquebrantados\',aregenerallystuddedthicklywithstuntedpalmscalledyatais,1
butnotsothicklyastospoilthegrasswhichcoverstheminspringandearlysummer,andeveninwintertheyremaingoodfeedingground。Thickclumpsofhard
woodtrees2
breakuptheprairiehereandthereintopeninsulasandislands,andinthehollowsandrockyvalleysbushypalmettorisesaboveahorse\'sknees。Ingeneralthesoilisofarichbrightred,which,gleamingthroughthetrees,givesapeculiarlywarmcolourtotheland。
AlltheFrenchJesuitwritersrefertoitas`laterrerougedesmissions\'。
TheJesuitsuseditandanotherearthofayellowshadeforpaintingtheirchurchesandtheirhousesinthemissionterritory。Itscompositionisrathersandy,thoughafterrainitmakesthickmud,andrenderstravellingmostlaborious。Theflowersandshrubsoftheterritoryarequiteasinterestingandstillmorevariedthanarethetrees。
ManyoftheJesuitswerebotanists,andtheworksofFathersMontenegro,3
SigismundAspergerandLozanoaremostcurious,andgivedescriptionsandlistsofmanyoftheplantsunclassifiedevento
day。
ThecelebratedBonpland,solongdetainedbyDr。FranciainParaguay,unfortunatelyneverpublishedanything;butmodernwriters4havedonemuch,thoughstillthefloraofthewholecountryisbutmostimperfectlyknown,andmuchremainstodobeforeitisallclassified。The`Crotonsuccirubrus\'
fromwhicharesinknownas`sangre
de
drago\'isextracted,thesumahabombax
thefruitofwhichyieldsafinevegetablesilk,theerythroxylonorcocaofParaguay,theinciensoorincense
treeoftheJesuits,aresomeofthemostremarkableofthemyriadshrubs。
Butiftheshrubsaremyriad,theflowersarepastthepowerofmantocount。
Lianas,withtheiryellowandredandpurpleclustersofblossoms,likeenormousbunchesofgrapes,hangfromtheforest
trees。
Intheopengladesuponthenandubays,5thealgarrobos,andtheespinillos,hangvariousOrchidaceae,6calledbythenatives`floresdelaire\',coveringthetreeswiththeiraerialroots,theirhangingblossoms,andtheirfoliageoftendergreen。
TheLabiatae,Compositae,Daturae,Umbelliferae,Convolvulaceae,andmanyotherspecies,coverthegroundinspringorrunuptreesandbushesafterthefashionofourhoneysuckleandthetraveller\'sjoy。
1`Cocosyatais\'。
2Urunday`Astreniumfraxinifolium:Terebinthaceae\',curapay`Piptadeniacommunis:Leguminaceae\',lapacho`Tecomacurialis\'and`varia:Begoniaceae\',taruma`VitexTaruma:Verbenaceae\',tatane`Acaciamaleolens:
Leguminaceae\',andcupai`CopaiferaLangsdorfii\'。
Theseandmanyotherwoods,suchasthePaloSanto`Guaiacumofficinalis\',butacae,andthe`CedrelaBraziliensis\',knowntotheJesuitsas`cedar\',andmuchusedbythemintheirchurches,comprisethechiefvarieties。
3`LibrocompuestoporelHermanoPedrodeMontenegrodelaC。deJ。,Ano1711\',MS。folio,withpen
and
inksketches,formerlybelongedtotheDukesofOsuna,andwasintheirlibrary。PadreSigismundialsowroteaherbalinGuarani,andaPortugueseJesuit,Vasconellos,hasleftacuriousbookuponthefloraofBrazil。
4DomingoParodi,inhis`NotassobrealgunasplantasusualesdelParaguay\'
BuenosAyres,1886,hasdonemuchgoodwork。
5`AcaciaCavenia\'。
6`Prosopisdulcis\'。Thefamous`balmofthemissions\',knownbythevulgarnameof`curalotodo\'all
heal,wasmadefromthegumofthetreecalledaguacciba,oneoftheTerebinthaceae。ItwassoldbytheJesuitsinEurope。
ItwassohighlyesteemedthattheinhabitantsofthevillagesneartowhichthetreewasfoundwerespeciallyenjoinedtosendacertainquantityofthebalsameveryyeartotheKing\'spharmacyinMadrid。
Thelakesandbackwatersofriversarecoveredwithmyriadsofwater
liliesalllumpedtogetherbythenativesas`camalote\',whilstinthewoodlandpoolstheVictoriaRegiscarpetsthewaterwithitsgiantleaves。Ineverywoodtheorangeandthelemonwiththesweetlimehavebecomewild,andformgreatthickets。
Eachfarmand`rancho\'hasitsorange
grove,beneaththeshadeofwhichIhavesooftencamped,thatthescentoforange
blossomalwaysbringsbacktomethedenseprimevalwoods,thesilentplains,thequietIndians,andtheunnavigatedwaterways,inwhichthealligatorsbasked。ExcepttheSierradeMbaracayu,1
onthenorth
east,throughoutthemissionterritorytherearenomountainsofconsiderableheight;andthroughthemiddleofthecountryruntheriversParanaandUruguay,thelatterformingtheboundaryonthesouth
east。Therollingplainsandwoodsalternatewithgreatmarshescalled`esteros\',whichinsomedistricts,asofthatofNeembucu,coverlargetractsofland,forminginwinteranalmostimpenetrablemorass,andinthespringandearlysummerexcellentfeeding
groundforsheep。Throughouttheterritorytheclimateishealthy,excepttowardsthewoodynorthernhills。
Withthisrichterritoryandthefalsereportsofmines,whichevenunsuccessfulexplorationcouldnotdispel,itisbutnaturalthattheJesuitswerehatedfarandwide。Itmusthavebeenannoyingtoasocietycomposed,aswerethegreaterportionoftheSpanishsettlementsinParaguay,ofadventurers,whotreatedtheIndiansasbrutebeasts,2
toseeapreserveofIndiansseparatedfromtheirterritorybynogreatbarrierofNature,andstillbeyondtheirpower。3
Bonpland,inspeakingofthecountry,says:`Thewholeofthelandexceedsdescription;ateverysteponemeetswiththingsusefulandnewinnaturalhistory。\'SuchalsowastheopinionoftheFrenchtravellersDemersayandD\'Orbigny;ofColonelduGraty,whoseinterestingwork`LaRe/publiqueduParaguay\',Brussels,1862isoneofthebestonthecountry;therecentFrenchexplorerBourgadelaDardye,andofallthosewhohaveevervisitedthemissionsofParaguay。4
1ItwasfromthosemountainsthattheJesuitsprocuredtheseedofthe`IlexParaguayensis\'toplantintheirreductions。
Theleavesbeatenintoafinishpowderfurnishedthe`Paraguayantea\',called`yerba
mate\'bytheSpaniardsand`caa\'bytheIndians,fromwhichtheJesuitsderivedahandsomerevenue。
AftertheexpulsionoftheOrderallthe`yerba\'inParaguaywasprocured,tillafewyearsago,fromforestsinthenorthofParaguay,inwhichthetreegrewwild。
2ItwasbytheBullofPaulIII。
givenatthedemandoftwomonks,FrayDomingodeBetanzosandFrayDomingodeMinaya
thattheIndianswerefirstconsideredasreasoningmen`gentederazon\',andnotasunreasonablebeings`gentesinrazon\',asJuanOrtiz,BishopofSantaMarta,wished。
3Ibanez`HistoireduParaguaysouslesJe/suitesM。D。CCIXXX。\',agreatopponentoftheJesuits,saysthatEuropeanoffendersandrecalcitrantIndiansinthemissionsweresentasalastresourcetotheSpanishsettlements。ThisisnotastonishingwhenwerememberthecuriousletterofDonPedroFaxardo,BishopofBuenosAyrespreservedbyCharlevoix,writtenin1721totheKingofSpain,inwhichhesayshethinks`thatnotamortalcrimeiscommittedinthemissionsinayear。\'Headdsthat,`iftheJesuitsweresorich,whyaretheircollegessopoor?\'
4Itistoberememberedthat,ofthethirtyJesuitmissions,onlyeightwereinParaguay;therestwereinwhatto
dayisBrazilandtheArgentineprovincesofEntreRios,Corrientes,andMisiones。
InthisrichterritorytheJesuits,when,afterinfinitetrouble,theyhadunitedasufficientquantityofIndians,formedthemintotownships,almostallofwhichwerebuiltupononeplan。InParaguayitselfonlysomethreeorfourremain;buttheyremainsowellpreservedthat,bythehelpofcontemporaryaccounts,itiseasytoreconstructalmostexactlywhatthemissionsmusthavebeenlikeduringtheJesuits\'rule。
Sometimes,whentheyhadbeenassembled,theyalldesertedsuddenly,asdidtheTobatines,whoin1740suddenlyleftthereductionofSantaFe,andforelevenyearswerelostintheforests,tillFatherYegrosfoundthem,and,astheywouldnotreturn,establishedhimselfamongstthemCretineauJoly,`HistoiredelaCompagniedeJe/sus\',vol。v。,cap。ii。。
P。Cardiel,`DeclaraciondelaVerdad\',p。282:`Todoslospueblosestanbienformadosconcallesa/cordel。LascasasdelosIndiossonenalgunospueblosdepiedrascuadradasperosincal……otrasdepalosybarrotodascubiertasdeteja,ytodastienensoportaleso/corredores,unasconpilaresdepiedras,otrasdemadera。\'
Builtroundasquare,thechurchandstore
housesfilledoneend,andthedwellingsoftheIndians,formedofsun
driedbricksorwattledcanesinthreelongpent
houses,completedthethreesides。Ingeneral,thehouseswereofenormouslength,afterthefashionofaSt。Simonianphalanstery,orofa`miners\'row\'inLanarkshire。Eachfamilyhaditsownapartments,whichwerebutseparatedfromtheapartmentsofthenextbyalath
and
plasterwall,calledinSpanish`tabique\'\'
butoneverandaandoneroofservedforahundredormorefamilies。
Thespaceinthemiddleofthesquarewascarpetedwiththefinestgrass,keptshortbybeingpasturedclosebysheep。Thechurches,sometimesbuiltofstone,andsometimesofthehardwoodswithwhichthecountryabounds,werebeyondalldescriptionsplendid,takingintoconsiderationtheremotenessoftheJesuittownsfromtheoutsideworld。Frequently
as,forinstance,inthemissionofLosApostoles
thechurcheshadthreeaisles,andwereadornedwithloftytowers,richaltars,1super
altars,andstatuary,broughtatgreatexpensefromItalyandSpain。
Thoughthechurcheswereoftenbuiltofstone,itwasnotusualforthehousesoftheIndianstobesobuilt;butinsituationswherestonewasplentiful,asatthemissionofSanBorja,thehousesoftheJesuitswereofmasonry,withverandasheldupbycolumns,andwithstaircaseswithbalustradesofsculpturedstone。2
Theordinaryground
planofthepriest\'shousewasthatoftheSpanishMoorishdwelling,solikeinallitsdetailstoaRomanhouseatPompeiioratHerculaneum。Builtroundasquarecourtyard,withafountaininthemiddle,theJesuits\'houseformedbutaportionofasortofinnertown,whichwassurroundedbyawall,inwhichagate,closedbyaporter\'slodge,communicatedwiththeoutsideworld。Withinthewallwassituatedthechurchalthoughithadanentrancetotheplaza,theroomsoftheinferiorpriest,agarden,aguest
chamber,stables,andastore
house,inwhichwerekeptthearmsbelongingtothetown,thecorn,flour,andwool,andtheprovisionsnecessaryforlifeinaremoteandoftendangerousplace。
Ineverycasethehouseswereofonestory;thefurniturewasmodest,andingeneralhome
made;ineveryroomhungimagesandpiouspictures,thelatteroftenpaintedbytheIndiansthemselves。InthesmallermissionstwoJesuitsmanagedalltheIndians。3
1DonFranciscoGraell,anofficerofdragoonsinserviceduringtheWaroftheSevenTownsin1750,givesthefollowingdescriptionofthechurchofthemissionofSanMiguel:`Laiglesiaesmuycapaz,todadepiedradesilleriacontresnavesymedianaranja。Muybienpintadaydoradaconunporticomagnificoydebellisimaarquitectura,bovedasymedianaranjasondemadera,elaltarmayordetalla,sindorarylefaltaelultimocuerpo。\'
2`Galeriasconcolumnas,barandillasyescalerasdepiedraentallada\'
DonFranciscoGraell。SeealsoP。Cardiel`DeclaraciondelaVerdad\',p。247,`Entodoslospuebloshayrelojdesolyderuedas,\'etc。
TheworkofPadreCardielwaswrittenin1750inthemissionsofParaguay,butremainedunpublishedtill1800,whenitappearedinBuenosAyresfromthepressofJuanA。Alsina,CalledeMexico1422。Itis,perhaps,afterthe`ConquistaEspiritual\'ofFatherRuizMontoya,themostpowerfulcontemporaryjustificationofthepolicyoftheJesuitsinParaguay。Itispowerfullybutsimplywritten,andcontainswithalthatsavinggraceofhumourwhichhas,fromthebeginningoftheworld,beenastumbling
blocktofools。
3ThemissionofSanMiguelhad1,353familiesinit,orsay6,635souls。
SanFranciscodeBorjacontained650families,or2,793soulsReportbyManuelQuerinitotheKing,datedCordobadeTucuman,yAgosto1o,1750。
ThegreatestdifficultywhichtheJesuitshadtofacewasthenaturalindolenceoftheirneophytes。Quiteunaccustomedastheyweretoregularworkofanykind,theordinaryEuropeansystem,aspractisedintheSpanishsettlements,promptlyreducedthemtodespair,andoftenkilledthemoffinhundreds。ThereforetheJesuitsinstitutedthesemi
communalsystemofagricultureandofpublicworkswithwhichtheirnamewillbeassociatedforeverinAmerica。
IntheirextensivemissionsintheprovincesofChiquitosandMoxostheypursuedthesamesystem。AstheyweremuchmoreisolatedinthoseprovincesthaninParaguay,andconsequentlymuchlessinterferedwith,itwastherethattheirpeculiarsystemmostflourished。
AftertheexpulsionoftheJesuitsfromAmericain1767,theSpaniardsinAltaPeru,andsubsequentlytheBolivians,hadthesensetofollowtheJesuitplaninitsentirety;whereasBucareli,theViceroyofBuenosAyres,entirelychangedtheJesuits\'ruleinParaguay。
TheconsequencewasthatinBoliviatheIndians,insteadofdispersingastheydidinParaguay,remainedinthemissions,andD\'Orbigny`Fragmentd\'unVoyageauCentredel\'Ame/riqueMe/ridianale\'
sawatthemissionsofSantiagoandElSantoCorazon,intheprovinceofChiquitos,theremainsoftheJesuits\'polity。
ThereweretenmissionsinChiquitos,andfifteeninMoxos。
AtthepresenttimetheFranciscanshavesomesmallestablishmentsinBolivia。
ThecelebratedDr。Francia,dictatorofParaguay,usedtorefertotheJesuitsas`cunningrogues\',1and,ashecertainlyhimselfwasversedineveryphaseofcunningness,perhapshisestimate
tosomeextent,atleast
wasjust。Arogueinpoliticsisbutamanwhodisagreeswithyou;but,still,itwantednolittleknowledgeofmankindtopresentadailytasktomen,unversedinanykindoflabour,asofthenatureofapleasureinitself。Thedifficultywasenormous,astheIndiansseemednevertohavecomeundertheprimevalcurse,butpassedtheirlivesinwanderingabout,occasionallycultivatingjustsufficientfortheirneeds。Whetheramissionary,Jesuit,orJansenist,Protestant,Catholic,orMohammedan,doeswellinforcinghisownmodeoflifeandfaithonthosewholiveahappier,freerlifethananyhisinstructorcanholdouttothemisamootpoint。Onlythefuturecanresolvethequestion,andjudgeofwhatwedoto
day
nodoubtwithgoodintentions,butwiththeignorancebornofourself
conceit。
Muchofthemiseryoftheworldhasbeenbroughtaboutwithgoodintentions;
butoftheJesuits,atleast,itcanbesaidthatwhattheydidinParaguaydidnotspreaddeathandextinctiontothetribeswithwhomtheydealt。2
SotothetaskofagriculturetheJesuitsmarshalledtheirneophytestothesoundofmusic,andinprocessiontothefields,withasaintbornehighaloft,thecommunityeachdayatsunrisetookitsway。
Alongthepaths,atstatedintervals,wereshrinesofsaints,andbeforeeachofthemtheyprayed,andbetweeneachshrinesanghymns。3
Astheprocessionadvanced,itbecamegraduallysmallerasgroupsofIndiansdroppedofftoworkthevariousfields,andfinallythepriestandacolytewiththemusiciansreturnedalone。4Atmid
day,beforeeating,theyallunitedandsanghymns,andthen,aftertheirmealandsiesta,returnedtoworktillsundown,whentheprocessionagainre
formed,andthelabourers,singing,returnedtotheirabodes。ApleasingandArcadianstyleoftillage,anddifferentfromthesystemofthe`swinked\'labourerinmorenorthernclimes。Buteventhenthehymnaldaywasnotconcluded;
forafterabriefresttheyallrepairedtochurchtosingthe`rosary\',andthentosupandbed。Onrainydaystheyworkedatotherindustriesinthesamehalf
Arcadian,half
communisticmanner,onlytheysangtheirhymnsinchurchinsteadofinthefields。ThesystemwassodifferenttothatunderwhichtheIndiansenduredtheirlivesinthe`encomiendas\'
andthe`mitas\'oftheSpanishsettlements,thatthefactaloneissufficienttoaccountformuchofthecontemporaryhatredwhichtheJesuitsincurred。
1`Pillosmuyladinos\'Robertson,`LettersfromParaguay\'。
2FerrerdelRio,inhis`ColecciondelosarticulosdelaEsperanzasobreCarlosIII。\'Madrid,1859,says:
`FueradelasmisionesdelosJesuitasparticularmenteenelParaguayseconsiderabanlosIndiosentrelosseresmasinfelicesdelmundo。\'
JorgeJuanandAntoniodeUlloa,intheircelebrated`SecretReport\'
`NoticiasSecretasdeAmerica\':`Lacompan~iadeJesusatiendeasusfinesparticularmenteconlosmisionerosquellevandeEspan~a;
perocontodoesonoseolvidadelaconversiondelosIndios,nitieneabandonadoesteasuntopuesaunquevanpocoadelanteenel,queesloquenoseesperimentenenlasdemasreligiones。\'
3Manytravellers,asAzara,Demersay,DuGraty,andD\'Orbigny,haveremarkedhowfondofmusicwastheGuaranirace,andhowsoontheylearnedtheuseofEuropeaninstruments。D\'Orbigny`Fragmentd\'unVoyageauCentredel\'Ame/riqueMe/ridianale\',inhisinterestingaccountofthemissionofElSantoCorazon,inthedistrictofChiquitos,says:`Jefustre\\se/tonne/
d\'entendreexe/cuterapre\\slesdansesindige\\nesdesmorceauxdeRossiniet……deWeber……lagrandemessechante/eenmusiquee/taitexe/cute/ed\'unemanie\\retre\\sremarquablepourdesIndiens。\'
VargasMachuca,inhismostcuriousandrare`MiliciayDescripciondelasIndias\',says,undertheheadingof`MusicadelIndio\':
`Usansusmusicasantiguasensusregocijos,ysonmuytristesenlatonada。\'To
daytheIndiansofParaguayhavesongsknownas`tristes\'。ThebrigadierDonDiegodeAlvear,inhis`RelaciondeMisiones\'ColecciondeAngelis,saysthatthefirsttoteachtheGuaranisEuropeanmusicwasaFlemishJesuit,P。JuanBasco,whohadbeen`maestrodecapilla\'
totheArchdukeAlbert。
4SeealsoP。Cardiel,`DeclaraciondelaVerdad\',p。274:
`……yestaacabada,setocaa/Misaa/queentrantodoscantandoelBendito,yalabadoensulengua,o/enCastellano,queenlasdoslenguaslosaben。\'
Imagineasemi
communisticsettlementsetclosetothebordersofRhodesia,inwhichthousandsofKaffirspassedalifeanalogoustothatpassedbytheIndiansofthemissions
caredforandfedbythecommunity,lookedafterineverysmallestparticularoftheirlives
andwhatafloodofcalumnywouldbeletlooseupontheunfortunatedevisersofthescheme!Firstly,towithdrawthousandsof`natives\'
fromthelabourmarketwouldbeacrimeagainstallprogress,andthentotreatthemkindlywouldbeheresy,andtosecludethemfromthecontaminationofthescumofEuropeinthesettlementswouldbetermedunnatural;forweknowthatnativeracesderivemostbenefitfromfreecompetitionwiththeleastfittedofourpopulationtoinstruct。
Butbesidesagriculturetheenormouscattle
farmsofthemissionterritorygaveoccupationtomanyoftheneophytes。Thelifeoncattle
farmsgavelessscopeforsupervision,andwemaysupposethattheherdersandthecattlemenweremorelikeGauchos;
butGauchosunderreligiousdiscipline,half
centaursinthefield,sittingaplunginghalf
wildcoltasiftheywerepartofhim,andwhenonfootathomesubmissivetotheJesuits,constantinchurch,butnotsofierceandbloodthirstyastheirdescendantssoonbecameafterthewithdrawalofthemissionrule。
DeanFunes,inhis`EnsayodelaHistoriadelParaguay\',etc。,saysthatinthe`estancia\'ofSantaTecla,inthemissionsofParaguay,duringthetimeoftheJesuits,therewere50,000headofcattle。
Aswellasagricultureand`estancia\'life,theJesuitshadintroducedamongsttheIndiansmostoftheartsandtradesofEurope。
BytheinventoriestakenbyBucareli,ViceroyofBuenosAyres,attheexpulsionoftheOrder,wefindthattheywovecottonlargely;
sometimestheymadeasmuchaseightthousandfivehundredyardsofclothinasingletowninthespaceoftwoorthreemonths。
And,inadditiontoweaving,theyhadtanneries,carpenters\'shops,tailors,hat
makers,coopers,cordage
makers,boat
builders,cartwrights,joiners,andalmosteveryindustryusefulandnecessarytolife。
Theyalsomadearmsandpowder,musicalinstruments,andhadsilversmiths,musicians,painters,turners,andprinterstoworktheirprinting
presses:
formanybookswereprintedatthemissions,andtheyproducedmanuscriptsasfinelyexecutedasthosemadebythemonksinEuropeanmonasteries。
`Inventariosdelosbieneshalladosa/laexpulsiondelosJesuitas\',Introduction,xxvii,FranciscoJavierBrabo。
Therareandmuch
sought
after`ManualeadusumPatrumSocietatisJesuquiinReductionibusParaquariaeversantur,exRitualeRomanoadToletanodecerptum\',wasprintedatthemissionofLoreto。
ItcontainsprayersinGuaraniaswellasinLatin。
HerealsowasprintedacuriousbookofGuaranisermonsbyNicolasYapuguay,manyGuaranivocabularies,andthe`ArtedelaLenguaGuarani/\'ofRuizMontoya。
Allthe`estancias\',theagriculturallandsandworkshopswere,sotospeak,thepropertyofthecommunity;thatistosay,thecommunityworkedthemincommon,wasfedandmaintainedbytheirproductions,thewholeunderthedirectionofthetwoJesuitswholivedineverytown。
Aportioncalled`tupinambal\'inGuaraniwassetasideespeciallyforthemaintenanceoforphansandofwidows。Thecattleandthehorses,withtheexceptionof`loscaballosdelsanto\',destinedforshowatfeasts,werealsousedincommon。ThesurplusofthecapitalwasreservedtopurchasenecessarycommoditiesfromBuenosAyresandfromSpain。
Eachfamilyreceivedfromthecommonstocksufficientforitsmaintenanceduringgoodconduct,fortheJesuitsheldinitsentiretythePaulinedictumthatifamanwillnotwork,thenneithershallheeat。
Butastheyheldit,sotheypractiseditthemselves,fortheirlivesweremostlaborious
teachingandpreaching,andactingasoverseerstotheIndiansintheirlabourscontinually,fromthefirstmomentoftheirarrivalatthemissionstilltheirdeath。
Thus,ifthemayorofthetownshipcomplainedofanymanforremissnessathiswork,hereceivednorationstillhehadimproved。
P。Cardiel,`DeclaraciondelaVerdad\',p。295:`Deestosgranoscomunalessedaparasembrar\',etc。
ToinculcatehabitsofprovidenceamongsttheIndians,alwaysinclinedtoconsumewhateverwasgiventothemandgofastingafterwards,theyissuedtheprovisionsbutonceaweek,andwhentheykilledtheiroxenforcedtheIndiansto`jerk\'acertainquantityofbeeftolastthroughouttheweek。Vegetableseachfamilywasobligedtoplantbothintheirgardensandinthecommonfields;
andallthatwerenotactuallyconsumedweredealtouttotheworkersinthecommonworkshopsorpreservedforsale。
Thisjerkedbeefiscalled`charqui\'inSouthAmerica。
CertainoftheIndiansownedtheirowncowsandhorses,andhadgardensinwhichtheyworked;butalltheproductwasobligedtobedisposedoftotheJesuitsforthecommongood,andinexchangeforthemtheygaveknives,scissors,cloth,andlooking
glasses,andotherarticlesmadeintheoutsideworld。ClotheswereservedouttoeveryIndian,andconsistedforthemenoftrousers,coarse`ponchos\',strawhatsorcaps,andshirts;butneithermennorwomeneverworeshoes,andthesolecostumeofthelatterwastheGuarani`tipoi\',
alongandsleevelessshiftcutratherhigh,andwithcoarseembroideryroundtheshoulders,andmadeofaroughcottoncloth。Forornamentstheyhadglassbeadsandrosariesofbrassorsilver,withsilverrings,andnecklacesofglassorhorn,fromwhichhungcrucifixes。
ThusfoodandclothingcosttheJesuitsorthecommunity
butlittle,andarudeplentywastheorderoftheland。
ThegreatestluxuryoftheIndianswas`mate\',andtoproduceittheyworkedinthe`yerbales\'inthesamewayinwhichtheyworkedtheirfields
inbandsandwithprocessions,tothesoundofhymnsandheadedbyapriest。
ThepoorerclassesinParaguayallusedtowearthe`tipoi\'。
Theycoveredthemselveswhenitwascoldwithawhitecottonsheetwrappedinmanyfolds。
TheJesuitsthemselvesweredressedinhomespunclothes,forMatiasAngles
quotedintheintroductiontothe`DeclaraciondelaVerdad\'ofFatherCardiel,publishedatBuenosAyresin1900theintroductionbyP。PabloHernandez
says:
`ElvestuariodelosPadresesdelienzodealgodonten~idodenegro,hiladoyfabricadoporlasmismasIndiasdelospueblos;
ysitalqualPadretieneuncapoteo/manteodepan~adeCastillasesucededeunosa/otros,yduraunsigloentero。\'
This,then,wasthesystembymeansofwhichtheJesuitssucceeded,withoutemployingforceofanykind,whichintheircasewouldhavebeenquiteimpossible,lostastheywereamongstthecrowdofIndians,inmakingtheGuaranisenduretheyokeoftoil。Thesemi
communalcharacteroftheirruleaccountsforthehostilityofLiberalswho,likeAzara,sawincompetitionthebestroadtoprogress,butwho,likehim,intheirconsumingthirstforprogresslostsightofhappiness。