Andrés Pérez de Ribas facts for kids

Andrés Pérez De Ribas was a Spanish Jesuit missionary and historian. He was born in Cordova, Spain, in 1576. He passed away in Mexico on March 26, 1655. He is known for his important work in converting Native American tribes in northwestern Mexico to Christianity. He also wrote a detailed history about these missions.

A Life of Mission

Andrés Pérez De Ribas joined the Jesuit order in 1602. He soon traveled to America, finishing his training in Mexico by 1604. That same year, he was sent to northern Sinaloa. His job was to help the Ahome and Suaqui tribes become Christians.

The Ahome people were friendly and wanted teachers. The Suaqui had just been defeated in a war. Within a year, Pérez De Ribas helped both tribes settle into towns. Each town had its own church. All of the Ahome and many Suaqui people were baptized. Together, these two tribes had about 10,000 members.

In 1613, Pérez De Ribas became the leader of the Jesuit missions in Sinaloa. He helped a tough mountain tribe agree to peace. In 1617, he brought other missionaries from Mexico City. They began working with the powerful Yaqui tribe in Sonora. The Yaqui people were estimated to be around 30,000. Many of them were not friendly at first.

Within a few years, most of the Yaqui people were gathered into eight mission towns. In 1620, Pérez De Ribas was called back to Mexico City. He helped at the college there. Later, he became the provincial leader of the Jesuit order for several years. After visiting Rome in 1643, he spent his time studying and writing until his death.

His Important Writings

Andrés Pérez De Ribas wrote many works. Most of them are still in manuscript form, meaning they were never printed as books. However, he is famous for his history of the Jesuit missions in Mexico. This book was published in Madrid in 1645. Its full title was Historia de los Triunfos de Nuestra Santa Fe entre gentes las más bárbaras ... conseguidos por los soldados de la milicia de Ia Compañía de Jesús en las misiones de la Provincia de Nueva-España.

The historian Hubert Howe Bancroft praised this book. He said it was a complete history of Jesuit work in Nueva Vizcaya. This region is now parts of modern-day Mexico. Bancroft noted that it was the only history of the area from 1590 to 1644. Pérez De Ribas wrote it himself, as a person who was part of the events. He also had access to all the letters and records of his order. This made his book a very valuable source of information.

See also

In Spanish: Andrés Pérez de Ribas para niños