Review by Choice Review
On the periphery of Spain's empire in America, the Jesuit Province of Paraguay was the site for a "holy experiment." At its apogee, this state within a state constituted 30 towns housing 100,000 Indians under Jesuit jurisdiction. Seven missions were pawns in territorial disputes between Spain and Portugal, and were the price to be paid in the hope of securing the survival of the Society of Jesus. The story has been told often, and Reiter provides no fresh information or insights. A flashback treats the prior period to 1730. The C'edula Grande of 1743 absolved the Jesuits of charges against them, and put the royal stamp of approval on the missions. But the 1750 Treaty of Limits spelled disaster: Spain agreed to the evacuation of Jesuits and their Indian charges from seven missions between the Ibicu'i and Uruguay rivers. Reiter tracks Hispano-Portuguese rivalries, the jockeying for political power, dynastic ambitions, diplomatic maneuvers, military campaigns, and anti-Jesuit sentiment, culminating in the expulsion of the Order and secularization of missions. The narrative style, citation of documents in translation, and creation of dialogue based on documentary sources make for compelling reading. The index is onomastic; quality of maps is poor. General readers, undergraduates. A. J. R. Russell-Wood; Johns Hopkins University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
