A Amazônia do exílio: os escritos de Chantre y Herrera

Abstract

Thinking about the writings of the Society of Jesus in the eighteenth century implies reflecting on the symbolic significance of which was produced by its members, as well as on the conditions under which these writings were produced (Certeau, 1982). The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze the work produced by the Jesuit José Chantre y Herrera entitled Historia de las misiones de la Compañía de Jesús en el eMarañón spañol 1637-1767. The narrative is divided into twelve books that treats of the Missions Of Maynas (1639-1767), located in Alto Amazonas and were directed by the priests of the Company among various indigenous groups. Chantre y Herrera was professor of metaphysics when, in 1767, suffers sanctions of the decree of Carlos III who expelled all members of the Order of the territories of the Spanish monarchy. He has never met the America, however, wrote the work which we treat, starting from informations and documents produced by his companions who had lived and worked in that area of mission. We will consider, therefore, the reasons that prompted this author to write for their peers and for an illustrious Europe, which lived a moment of historiographical debates, and we will try, through it, follow the debates then at that time guided the "history’s writing of the New World" (CAÑIZARES Esguerra, 2007).