ANTONIO RUIZ DE MONTOYA: LA CONSTRUCCIÓN DE UN IMAGINARIO REGIONAL

Abstract

The Spiritual Conquest of Antonio Ruiz de Montoya is a pioneering text in the history of the Guarani Tribes evangelization. In his scheme of composition, Ruiz de Montoya takes, on the one hand, chronistic elements of the Anuas Letters, and on the other hand, the utopian ideals that marked the new lands as a promising space for the creation of a new Christianity.The narration of the Apostle St. Thomas passing by the American territory was strengthened by those ideals. The numerous settlements in the region of Paraquaria were built on a new cultural identity, based on a syncretism that involved cultural and religious aspects.