Los inicios del “ministerio de negros” en la provincia jesuítica del Paraguay

Abstract

This work tries to contribute to fill up an emptiness on the study of the population of African origin and, generally, slave in an area in which, traditionally, its presence was even refused. The interest is focused on the process of evangelization carried out by the jesuits, because they were they who took care primarily of such ministry between the slaves. Firstly, are studied some canonical problems, considered by the Church and the jesuits, around the baptism and catechizing of the enslaved population; next, the fundamental aspects of this practice are reviewed based on the documentation shown in the Anuas Letters of the Jesuit Province of Paraguay.