Located 60 km outside of Asuncion, Templo San Buenaventura in the historical town Yaguaron is a well-preserved example of the colonial Franciscan Reductions of Paraguay. The Franciscan reductions, or missions, were some of the first Catholic institutions in the region and their effects can still be seen today. Their towns "reduced" the originally nomadic natives to fixed areas allowing the missionaries to better control and catechize them, while teaching them to read and write, to cultivate the land, to domesticate animals, and to create artistic works. This method of "reducing" indigenous peoples to religious and civil life was mainly carried out by both the Franciscans and the Jesuits, yet each order had their own strategies to impose a new way of life on the Guaranis in religion, economic systems, language, and culture.
No comments:
Post a Comment