Jesuit Missions of Moxos

The Jesuit Missions of Moxos are located in the Llanos de Moxos of Beni department in eastern Bolivia. Distinguished by a unique fusion of European and Amerindian cultural influences, the missions were founded as reductions or reducciones de indios by Jesuits in the 17th and 18th centuries to convert local tribes to Christianity.

History
Jesuit priests arriving from Santa Cruz de la Sierra began evangelizing native peoples of the region in the 1670s. They set up a series of missions near the Mamoré River for this purpose beginning with Loreto. The principal mission was established at Trinidad in 1686.

In Moxos, books provided the Jesuits with information vital to the mission development.

List of missions
Meireles (1989) lists the following Jesuit missions of Moxos along with their respective ethnic groups (tribes). Founding dates and a few more additional missions are from Block (1994).

Languages
The following indigenous languages, which make up much of the Mamoré-Guaporé linguistic area, were historically spoken in the missions. Moxo was the primary lingua franca (lengua general) used in the missions.


 * Arawakan languages
 * Moxo, spoken by the Mojeños
 * Baure, spoken by the Baure people
 * Canichana, spoken by the Canichana people
 * Movima, spoken by the Movima people
 * Cayuvava, spoken by the Cayuvava people
 * Itonama, spoken by the Itonama people
 * Tsimané, spoken by the Tsimané people
 * Mure (extinct)
 * Chapacuran languages
 * Itene
 * Chapacura (extinct)
 * Napeca (extinct)
 * Rocorona (extinct)
 * Quitemo (extinct)
 * Tacanan languages
 * Reyesano (or Maropa)