Battle of Mbororé
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Mbororé was a battle between the Guaraní living in the Jesuit Missions and the bandeirantes
, explorers and adventurers based in São Paulo
. It occurred on 11 March 1641 near the Mbororé mountain, now the town of Panambí
in the Misiones Province
, Argentina
.
These exploration and slave hunting groups, called bandeiras, were organized and managed as a business for the leading sectors of San Pablo, and their ranks included Mamluks (Portuguese/Indian Mestizos), indigenous Tupi and Dutch who came to Brazil to try their luck. They had the support of Spanish and Paraguayan officials.
In their advance toward the west, the frontiersmen never crossed the threshold specified by the Treaty of Tordesillas. Indirectly, the Bandeirantes São Paulo became the vanguard of the Portuguese territorial expansion, which was consolidated by recovering Portugal's independence from Spain.
The Jesuits had begun this evangelization when the frontiersmen began arriving in eastern Guayrá. At first, they respected the indigenous peoples so treated by the Jesuits. However, the Guarani, concentrated in towns and skilled in various trades, represented a highly skilled workforce, defenseless because they could not bear arms as a result of another of the governor's decrees. Beginning in 1620, bandeiras' raids became increasingly aggressive, forcing the abandonment or relocation of some villages.
Between 1628 and 1631 the bandeirantes' leaders, Raposo Tavares and Manuel Antonio Pires Preto and their men periodically struck Guayrá, capturing thousands of Guarani who were then auctioned off at San Pablo. It is estimated that in the years 1628-1629, raids captured some 5,000 Indians, of which only 1,200 reached St. Paul. The vast majority of them died in transit as a result of the slave traders' treatment.
By the year 1632, 12,000 Guarani had been forcibly moved south, leaving the Guayrá region virtually deserted, in addition to population reductions in the nearby regions of San Ignacio Mini and Loreto in the territory of the present Province of Misiones.
The Bandeirantes continued westward, striking Itatin in 1632. Then followed the Tape, invaded during the years 1636, 1637 and 1638 by successive bandeiras Raposo Tavares led by Andres Fernandez and Fernando Dias Pais.
and Francisco Diaz Tano traveled to Spain
in order to report to the King Felipe IV
recent events in the missions. They wanted the King to lift his restrictions on the use of firearms by the natives.
The recommendations of Ruiz de Montoya were accepted by the King
and Council of the Indies, and dispatched several royal charters to Paraguay. By Royal Decree of 12 May 1640, the Guaraní were allowed to take firearms for their defense, but if so directed by the prior Viceroy of Peru. The priests returned to Lima
, with the intent of providing weapons to the natives, while Father Tano went to Rome
to inform the Pope of the slave-hunting missions in order to obtain a papal protection.
, the regional priest Diego de Boroa, with the consent of the Governor of Asuncion and Real audience of Charcas, decided that the mission troops should receive firearms and begin military training. From Buenos Aires
was sent eleven Spanish to organize the defense forces.
In late 1638, Father Diego de Alfaro crossed the Uruguay River with a number of Guaraní, armed and trained, with the intention of recovering indigenous territory and eventually face the bandeirantes who roamed the region.
After some sporadic encounters with the forces of São Paulo, the troops were joined by Father Alfaro and 1,500 Guarani led by Father Romero. He then formed an army of 4,000 missionaries who advanced to the ravaged reduction Apostles Caazapaguazú where bandeirantes were entrenched after several partial defeats. The armed clash was the first decisive victory of the Guarani Paulistas, who abruptly fled after surrendering.
Coincidentally, at that same time, Father Tano came to Rio de Janeiro
from Madrid
and Rome. He had in his possession royal charters and Papal Bulls condemning the bandeiras' conducting human trafficking with the indigenous people.
Both events produced a backlash in the government of Sao Pablo which, in agreement with the plantations, expelled the Jesuits from the city. The city organized a huge bandeira with 450 Dutch and Portuguese armed with rifles and muskets, 700 canoes and 2,700 Tupi archers, led by Manuel Pires. The aim of the expedition was to take and destroy everything that was in Uruguay and Paraná rivers, taking all potential slaves.
Bandeirantes
The bandeirantes were composed of Indians , caboclos , and some whites who were the captains of the Bandeiras. Members of the 16th–18th century South American slave-hunting expeditions called bandeiras...
, explorers and adventurers based in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
. It occurred on 11 March 1641 near the Mbororé mountain, now the town of Panambí
Panambí
Panambí is a village and municipality in Misiones Province in northeastern Argentina.-References:...
in the Misiones Province
Misiones Province
Misiones is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamiсa region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes Province of Argentina to the southwest.- History :The province was...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
Need for Slaves and the beginning of the 'bandeiras'
In the early seventeenth century, the Dutch landed on the Brazil coasts intending to settle there. They did this by using piracy to control navigation along the Atlantic coast, disrupting the Brazilian slave trade. This was a heavy blow to the Portuguese Empire, which needed slave labor to cultivate sugar and raise livestock, the industries which prevailed on the Atlantic coast of Brazil. As a result of this disruption, the Portuguese plantation owners began to make inroads into the local Indian population to make up the shortfall in slave labor. Moreover, due to the small quantities of silver, gold and precious stones found in the region of Piratininga, the scouts began to move towards the unknown interior of Brazil.These exploration and slave hunting groups, called bandeiras, were organized and managed as a business for the leading sectors of San Pablo, and their ranks included Mamluks (Portuguese/Indian Mestizos), indigenous Tupi and Dutch who came to Brazil to try their luck. They had the support of Spanish and Paraguayan officials.
In their advance toward the west, the frontiersmen never crossed the threshold specified by the Treaty of Tordesillas. Indirectly, the Bandeirantes São Paulo became the vanguard of the Portuguese territorial expansion, which was consolidated by recovering Portugal's independence from Spain.
First Attacks on the Jesuit Missions
By decree in 1608, the governor of Asuncion, Paraguay, Hernando Arias de Saavedra ordered the Jesuits to areas surrounding the Parana River, Guayrá and areas inhabited by guaycurúes to found towns and evangelize the natives who inhabited these regions. Later, he included the peoples of Itatin (north of Asuncion) and Tape (the current state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil).The Jesuits had begun this evangelization when the frontiersmen began arriving in eastern Guayrá. At first, they respected the indigenous peoples so treated by the Jesuits. However, the Guarani, concentrated in towns and skilled in various trades, represented a highly skilled workforce, defenseless because they could not bear arms as a result of another of the governor's decrees. Beginning in 1620, bandeiras' raids became increasingly aggressive, forcing the abandonment or relocation of some villages.
Between 1628 and 1631 the bandeirantes' leaders, Raposo Tavares and Manuel Antonio Pires Preto and their men periodically struck Guayrá, capturing thousands of Guarani who were then auctioned off at San Pablo. It is estimated that in the years 1628-1629, raids captured some 5,000 Indians, of which only 1,200 reached St. Paul. The vast majority of them died in transit as a result of the slave traders' treatment.
By the year 1632, 12,000 Guarani had been forcibly moved south, leaving the Guayrá region virtually deserted, in addition to population reductions in the nearby regions of San Ignacio Mini and Loreto in the territory of the present Province of Misiones.
The Bandeirantes continued westward, striking Itatin in 1632. Then followed the Tape, invaded during the years 1636, 1637 and 1638 by successive bandeiras Raposo Tavares led by Andres Fernandez and Fernando Dias Pais.
Montoya's Mission to the Crown
In 1638, priests Antonio Ruiz de MontoyaAntonio Ruiz de Montoya
Antonio Ruiz de Montoya was a Jesuit missionary in Paraguay.-Life:Montoya was born at Lima, Peru.Montoya entered the Society of Jesus on 1 November 1606. In the same year he accompanied Father Diego Torres, the first provincial of Paraguay, to this mission.In co-operation with Fathers Cataldino...
and Francisco Diaz Tano traveled to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in order to report to the King Felipe IV
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...
recent events in the missions. They wanted the King to lift his restrictions on the use of firearms by the natives.
The recommendations of Ruiz de Montoya were accepted by the King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
and Council of the Indies, and dispatched several royal charters to Paraguay. By Royal Decree of 12 May 1640, the Guaraní were allowed to take firearms for their defense, but if so directed by the prior Viceroy of Peru. The priests returned to Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, with the intent of providing weapons to the natives, while Father Tano went to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to inform the Pope of the slave-hunting missions in order to obtain a papal protection.
The Apostles of Caazapaguazú skirmish
Meanwhile, prior to the imminent danger of the frontiersmen crossing the Uruguay RiverUruguay River
The Uruguay River is a river in South America. It flows from north to south and makes boundary with Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, separating some of the Argentine provinces of the Mesopotamia from the other two countries...
, the regional priest Diego de Boroa, with the consent of the Governor of Asuncion and Real audience of Charcas, decided that the mission troops should receive firearms and begin military training. From Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
was sent eleven Spanish to organize the defense forces.
In late 1638, Father Diego de Alfaro crossed the Uruguay River with a number of Guaraní, armed and trained, with the intention of recovering indigenous territory and eventually face the bandeirantes who roamed the region.
After some sporadic encounters with the forces of São Paulo, the troops were joined by Father Alfaro and 1,500 Guarani led by Father Romero. He then formed an army of 4,000 missionaries who advanced to the ravaged reduction Apostles Caazapaguazú where bandeirantes were entrenched after several partial defeats. The armed clash was the first decisive victory of the Guarani Paulistas, who abruptly fled after surrendering.
São Paulo's government prepares the counterattack
Torn apart, the Bandeirantes forces returned to São Paulo to tell authorities what happened.Coincidentally, at that same time, Father Tano came to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
from Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and Rome. He had in his possession royal charters and Papal Bulls condemning the bandeiras' conducting human trafficking with the indigenous people.
Both events produced a backlash in the government of Sao Pablo which, in agreement with the plantations, expelled the Jesuits from the city. The city organized a huge bandeira with 450 Dutch and Portuguese armed with rifles and muskets, 700 canoes and 2,700 Tupi archers, led by Manuel Pires. The aim of the expedition was to take and destroy everything that was in Uruguay and Paraná rivers, taking all potential slaves.