Antonio Ruiz de Montoya facts for kids

Antonio Ruiz de Montoya (born June 13, 1585, in Lima, Peru – died April 11, 1652, in Lima, Peru) was a priest from the Jesuit order. He was an important missionary in the Paraguayan Reductions, which were special settlements for Indigenous people.

Life and Work

Joining the Jesuits

Antonio Ruiz de Montoya joined the Society of Jesus on November 1, 1606. In the same year, he traveled to the mission in Paraguay with Father Diego Torres. Father Torres was the first leader of the Jesuit missions in that area.

Building New Settlements

Montoya worked with other priests, Fathers Cataldino and Mazeta. Together, they helped create the Jesuit Reductions in a region called Guayra. These reductions were like villages where Indigenous people could live, learn, and practice the Catholic faith.

Montoya helped many different tribal groups join the Catholic Church. It is said that he personally baptized about 100,000 Indigenous people. From 1620, he was in charge of many "Reductions." These settlements were located along the Paraná River, the Uruguay River, and the Tape River. He added thirteen new reductions to the twenty-six that already existed.

Moving the People

The missions in Guayra faced a big danger. People called Paulistas from Brazil would attack the villages. They were looking for people to capture and force into slavery. To protect the Christian Indigenous people, Father Mazeta and Montoya decided to move them.

Around 15,000 people needed to be moved to safer reductions in Paraguay. This was a huge and difficult journey. Some traveled by water using seven hundred rafts and many canoes. Others walked through the thick forest. The plan worked, and the move was completed in 1631. This amazing journey is considered one of the most incredible undertakings of its kind in history.

Speaking Up for Rights

In 1637, Montoya traveled to Spain to speak with Philip IV of Spain, the king. He complained about the Portuguese people who were kidnapping Indigenous people from the mission areas. Montoya successfully got the king to grant important protections and special rights for the reductions in Paraguay. Soon after he returned to America, Montoya passed away.

Important Writings

Antonio Ruiz de Montoya was a very skilled scholar of the Guaraní language, which is spoken by many Indigenous people. He wrote important books about this language.

His main works include:

• Tesoro de la lingua guaraní (Madrid, 1639): This was a dictionary of the Guaraní language.
• Conquista espiritual hecha por los religiosos de la Compañía de Jesús en las provincias del Paraguay, Paraná, Uruguay y Tape (Madrid, 1639): This book tells the story of the spiritual conquest by the Jesuits in the regions of Paraguay, Paraná, Uruguay, and Tape.
• Arte y vocabulario de la lingua guaraní (Madrid, 1640): This book was a grammar and vocabulary guide for the Guaraní language.
• Catecismo de la lingua guaraní (Madrid, 1640): This was a catechism (a book of religious teachings) written in Guaraní.
• Silex del Divino Amor (1640): This book was about spiritual topics. It was not published during Montoya's lifetime but was later printed in 1991.

Many experts have praised Montoya's grammar and vocabulary books. They are considered excellent resources for studying the Guaraní language. These works were reprinted many times, showing how important they were.

See also

In Spanish: Antonio Ruiz de Montoya para niños