The Jesuits in the Hinterland of Piauí: 50 years between farms and herds (1711 - 1760)
Jesuits in Piauí, History of Piauí, Cattle Farms, History of the Society of Jesus.
This thesis studies the history of the Society of Jesus in Piaui. The temporal arc begins in the year 1711, when the Jesuits of the Bahia College were inherited from a chapel made up of cattle ranches in southeastern Piaui and, as a result, decided to settle there. The Order remained resident in the region until 1760, when it was expelled from all over the Portuguese kingdom and, consequently, from Piaui. This 50-year interval is analyzed through historical research that sought, through document analysis, to know the experience of Jesuit priests in the Piauí hinterlands. It was found that the Jesuits, upon arriving there, continued with the praxis of catechesis, an activity that they already performed even before they settled there. During the period in which they lived in the region they did not build colleges or churches, as they did in nearby captaincies, their main interest was in the management of farms and the sale of cattle. As a result, they maintained a resident priest as administrator of the company’s assets in the region, who was periodically replaced. The houses of residence, erected to assist in the administration of the properties, were simple buildings, built without intention of permanence, making use of the materials found in the own sites. As stewards, they managed to increase the number of farms and inherited animals. The successful phase of Jesuits as farmers was only interrupted with the expulsion of the Order in Brazil, which took place in Piauí in 1760.