Itatín facts for kids
Itatín was a region in South America during the 1600s. It was located in what is now the western part of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. The area was named after the Itatínes, the native people who lived there. These people were related to the Guaraní who lived further south in Paraguay.
In 1631, a group of Jesuit priests from the Roman Catholic church started building missions in Itatín. These missions were places where the Jesuits lived and tried to teach the local people about Christianity. However, the missions did not last long. By 1648, they had failed because of attacks from people called Bandeirantes, who captured native people to sell as slaves. There were also revolts by the local people against the Jesuits.
Itatín was once considered part of colonial Paraguay. But in 1750, a deal called the Treaty of Madrid officially gave the land to Brazil. Today, the name "Itatín" is no longer used for this region.
Geography of Itatín
The Itatín region was quite large, stretching about 300 kilometers (186 miles) from north to south and the same distance from east to west. It had natural borders: the Paraguay River to the west, the Maracaju Mountains to the east, the huge Pantanal wetlands to the north, and the Apa River to the south. The weather in Itatín was tropical, meaning it was warm all year. The land had different types of plants, from thick tropical rain forest to open savannah grasslands.
One very important spot in Itatín was a place where people could cross the Paraguay River. This crossing was about 55 kilometers (34 miles) south of the city now called Corumbá. It was known as the Jesuit's Ford (Paso de las Jesuitas). During the dry season, from November to January, the river here became shallow, only about 2 meters (6.6 feet) deep.
Native people like the Itatínes used this ford long before the Jesuits arrived. It was the easiest way to travel across the Gran Chaco region to places like Chiquitos in Bolivia and then on to the Andes mountains. The Andes were the home of the Inca Empire in Peru and Bolivia. The first Europeans to use this ford were in 1524, when Aleixo Garcia joined a group of Guaraní people traveling west. They were looking for the riches of the Inca Empire. The Jesuits later built missions near this ford to help them reach their other missions in Peru and Bolivia. They also wanted to teach the Chiquitos people about their religion.
Jesuit Missions in Itatín
Early Spanish explorers came to Itatín hoping to find a route to Peru. In 1609, the Jesuits started building missions in a different area of Brazil called Guayrá, which was about 800 kilometers (500 miles) southeast of Itatín. However, these missions faced constant attacks from Bandeirantes, who were slave hunters from Brazil. These attacks made it impossible for the missions to continue.
So, the Jesuits looked for new places. They moved their Guayrá missions southwest and explored new areas for their work. In 1631, a Jesuit priest named Jacobo Ransonnier traveled to Itatín. There was a small Spanish settlement there called Santiago de Jerez (near today's Aquidauana). The Itatínes were careful around the Jesuits. They had been attacked by Bandeirantes before, and it seemed some Portuguese priests or people pretending to be priests had helped the attackers.
Despite this, Ransonnier and other Jesuits managed to build missions along the Miranda River. They earned the trust of a local leader named Nianduabusuvius (Nanduabuçu). But the Bandeirantes' raids continued. Often, Spanish colonists also helped the Bandeirantes because they wanted native people to work as slaves. In 1642, Nianduabusuvius himself was captured. About 1,000 Christianized native people were also taken away to work as slaves in coastal Brazil.
In 1644, the Itatínes fought back against the Jesuits. They threatened and mistreated several priests. The Jesuits tried to regain control by capturing and punishing Nianduabusuvius' son and nephews. However, the Jesuits could not get their power back in Itatín. By 1648, a famous Bandeirante named Antonio Raposo Tavares completely destroyed the Jesuit missions and forced the Spanish out of Itatín.
The Jesuits' plan to open a route from Itatín to Peru also failed. In 1645, two Jesuits crossed the Paraguay River and headed west across the Gran Chaco. But they were captured and killed by the Guaycurus, who were likely the people later known as the Mbayá. These Mbayá were becoming skilled horse riders. Some Itatínes, especially those who disliked the Jesuits, had left the missions and helped the Guaycurus. Many Itatínes and other Guaraní people were moving west during this time. They were drawn by the wealth of the old Inca Empire and pushed away by the Bandeirantes and Spanish colonists.
In 1661, some Mbayá people moved east of the Paraguay River. They pushed many Itatín people out of their lands. For the next 100 years, the growing Mbayá and their subjects, the Guaná, along with the remaining Itatín people, controlled the Itatín region.
During the 1700s, it was also hard to get to the Itatín region because of the Payagua people. They were a river-dwelling group related to the Mbayá. The Payagua fought and won many battles against gold prospectors who tried to reach gold mines north of Itatín by traveling along the Paraguay River.
Today, the descendants of the Itatín people are likely the Guarayos in Bolivia and the Guarani-Kaiowá and Pai Tavytera people in Brazil and Paraguay.
See also
