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Jesuit Missions of Moxos

Catholic missions in Bolivia

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The Jesuit Missions of Moxos are located in the Llanos de MoxosofBeni department in eastern Bolivia. Distinguished by a unique fusion of European and Amerindian cultural influences, the missions were founded as reductionsorreducciones de indiosbyJesuits in the 17th and 18th centuries to convert local tribes to Christianity.

History[edit]

Jesuit priests arriving from Santa Cruz de la Sierra began evangelizing native peoples of the region in the 1670s. They set up a series of missions near the Mamoré River for this purpose beginning with Loreto. The principal mission was established at Trinidad in 1686.^[1]

In Moxos, books provided the Jesuits with information vital to the mission development.^[2]

List of missions[edit]

Meireles (1989) lists the following Jesuit missions of Moxos along with their respective ethnic groups (tribes).^{[3]: 78–79} Founding dates and a few more additional missions are from Block (1994).^[4]: 39

Languages[edit]

The following indigenous languages, which make up much of the Mamoré-Guaporé linguistic area, were historically spoken in the missions.^[3][5]: 11 Moxo was the primary lingua franca (Spanish: lengua general) used in the missions.^[5]: 13

• Arawakan languages
  • Moxo, spoken by the Mojeños
  • Baure, spoken by the Baure people
• Canichana, spoken by the Canichana people
• Movima, spoken by the Movima people
• Cayuvava, spoken by the Cayuvava people
• Itonama, spoken by the Itonama people
• Tsimané, spoken by the Tsimané people
• Mure (extinct)
• Chapacuran languages
  • Itene
  • Chapacura (extinct)
  • Napeca (extinct)
  • Rocorona (extinct)
  • Quitemo (extinct)
• Tacanan languages
  • Reyesano (or Maropa)

Gallery[edit]

• 
  Trinidad Cathedral
• 
  Trinidad Cathedral
• 
  San Ignacio de Moxos
• 
  San Ignacio de Moxos
• 
  San Ignacio de Moxos
• 
  San Joaquín
• 
  Magdalena in 1990
• 
  Santa Ana del Yacuma

See also[edit]

• List of Jesuit sites
• List of Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos
• Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos
• Llanos de Moxos (archaeology)
• Mojeños

References[edit]