Itatín
Itatín (
Geography
The Itatín region is roughly 300 km (190 mi) from north to south and the same distance from east to west. It is bordered by the
The Itatín was important for the existence of a ford across the Paraguay River about 55 km (34 mi) south of the present day city of
Jesuit missions
Early Spanish explorations of the Itatín were prompted by an objective of finding a route to Peru. In 1609 the Jesuits began establishing missions in the Guayrá region of Brazil, 800 km (500 mi) southeast of Itatín. Slave raids by Bandeirantes from Brazil made those missions untenable. Looking for alternatives the Jesuits moved the Guayrá missions southwest and explored new mission fields. In 1631, a Jesuit priest named Jacobo Ransonnier journeyed to Itatín where a small Spanish settlement existed at Santiago de Jerez (near present-day Aquidauana). The Itatínes were suspicious; they had been raided previously by Bandeirantes, apparently with the assistance of Portuguese priests, or laymen impersonating priests. Neverthess, Ransonnier with other Jesuits succeeded in establishing missions along the Miranda River, by gaining the confidence of a local cacique, Nianduabusuvius (Nanduabuçu). Bandeirantes raids continued, however, often with the assistance of Spanish colonists who also desired Indian slave labor. Nainduabusuvius himself was captured in 1642 along with 1,000 Christianized Indians who were taken away to work as slaves in coastal Brazil.[4][5]
In 1644, the Itatínes revolted and threatened and abused several Jesuits. The Jesuits lured Nianduabusuvius' son and two nephews into a trap and executed them, but the Jesuits could not recoup their position in Itatín. In 1648, the prominent Bandeirante
Moreover, the Jesuit objective of opening a route from Itatín to Peru failed. Two Jesuits crossed the Paraguay River in 1645 and headed west across the Gran Chaco. They were captured and executed by the
Access to the Itatín region was also hindered during the 18th century by the
The 21st century survivors of the Itatín people are likely the Guarayos in Bolivia and the Guarani-Kaiowá and Pai Tavytera of Brazil and Paraguay.[13]
Notes
- ^ Gott 1993, p. 300.
- ^ Hemming 1978, pp. 260, 271.
- ^ Gott 1993, pp. 14–16, 37–43.
- ^ Gott 1993, pp. 37–43.
- ^ Hemming 1978, p. 273.
- ^ Gott 1993, pp. 41–42.
- ^ Hemming 1978, pp. 172–273.
- ^ Hemming 1978, pp. 272–273.
- ^ Martinez 2017, pp. 333–335.
- ^ Hemming 1978, p. 389.
- ^ Francisco Jose Sanchez Labrador.
- ^ Hemming 1978, pp. 395–401.
- ^ Combes 2015, pp. 161–162.
Bibliography
- Combes, Isabel (2015). "Itatines y Guarayos: (Oriente boliviano, siglos XVI-XVIII)". JSTOR. Anthropos. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- Gott, Richard (1993). Land without Evil. London: Verso. ISBN 0860913988.
- Hemming, John (1978). Red Gold. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674751078.
- Martinez, Cecilia Gabriela (2017). "Cavaleiros versus Flecheros". Americania Revista Estudios Latinoamericanos. Conicet. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- "Francisco Jose Sanchez Labrador". Real Academia de la Historia. Retrieved 25 April 2022.