Jesuit project for the exploration and occupancy Patagonian coasts in the Eighteenth Century

Abstract

The Jesuits promoted evangelization of Patagonia creating ephemeral reductions and attempting a surreptitious occupation project that interested the Crown from a geopolitical standpoint. This paper aims to show the involvement of attorneys from the Society of Jesus and the resources used to achieve political objectives, not only for evangelization and exploration, but mainly in defense of Aboriginal life. The results were not as expected, but worth the strenuous attempts to constitute themselves as a special different view of the realities.