Abstract: This book tells the story of how the 16th-century religious conquerors of America attempted to change the belief systems of the Native Americans. To what degree did they succeed or fail? And why? The European protagonists and frontline representatives of the new religion in the spiritual struggles were the Jesuits (members of the Society of Jesus) who, although latecomers to America, soon became the most vocal and visible spokespersons. Invasion and military power are nothing new to minority societies. But how did they handle the waves of spiritual conquerors that came ashore in the 16th century? “Why have you come here?” are the words of a Florida Indian chief to a Jesuit missionary. The reply enlightens and at the same time demonstrates the renaissance certainty of the Europeans. From their first encounters with the Indians of La Florida, through Mexico, New France, the Paraguay Reductions, Andean Peru, to contact with Native Americans in pre-revolutionary Maryland, the Jesuits were ubiquitous in North and South America, with missions, preaching, and public theater, with the goal of changing what the Native American thought about God. Drawing on an abundance of primary material, the book also integrates the latest in published scholarship. The Jesuit Archives of Rome, the Archivo de Indias, Seville, besides those in Madrid and South America, have been tapped to throw light on the spiritual conquest of America.

Keywords: Jesuits, evangelization, Society of Jesus, La Florida, Sonora, Sinaloa, Maryland, Andean Peru, New France, Jesuit Archives