Mendoza Franciscano Jesuit Church And Native People's History

On 2 March 1561, Pedro del Castillo founded the city and named it Ciudad de Mendoza del Nuevo Valle de La Rioja after the governor of Chile, Don García Hurtado de Mendoza. Before the 1560s the area was populated by tribes known as the Huarpes and Puelches. The Huarpes devised a system of irrigation that was later developed by the Spanish. This allowed for an increase in population that might not have otherwise occurred. The system is still evident today in the wide trenches (acequias), which run along all city streets, watering the approximately 100,000 trees that line every street in Mendoza.

It is estimated that fewer than 80 Spanish settlers lived in the area before 1600, but later prosperity increased due to the use of indigenous and slave labor, and the Jesuit presence in the region. When nearby rivers were tapped as a source of irrigation in 1788 agricultural production increased. The extra revenues generated from this, and the ensuing additional trade with Buenos Aires, Viceroyalty on which it depended since its creation and transfer from the Captaincy General of Chile in 1776, no doubt led to the creation of the state of Cuyo in 1813 with José de San Martín as governor. It was from Mendoza that San Martín and other Argentinian and Chilean patriots organized the army with which they won the independence of Chile and Peru.Mendoza suffered a severe earthquake in 1861 that killed at least 5,000 people. The city was rebuilt, incorporating innovative urban designs that would better tolerate such seismic activity. Mendoza was rebuilt with large squares and wider streets and sidewalks than any other city in Argentina. Avenue Bartolomé Mitre and additional small squares are examples of that design.

Located a few meters away of the Foundational Area, the San Francisco Ruins, remains of the church built by Jesuits in 1731. The cause of their name is that the temple switched to the hands of the Franciscans in 1782, who restored the building and kept it until the earthquake of 1861, after which it stayed in wrecks.

The Jesuits built a first temple in 1608, but in 1714 a monsoon took everything away. That same year the construction of a second Jesuit church began.

In 1782 takes place the “Santa Rita” earthquake, that destroyed the entire building. The ground was given to the Franciscans, who took care of the reconstruction.

The King of Spain water to get rod of Jesuits that were imvolved in murdaring peoples that did not accepted catolicism.

Despite all the effort, a new earthquake leaves the place in ruins one more time. Only the front of the church and the lateral walls stood on foot. The wrecks were abandoned until 1993, year in which a project to consider valuable the foundational area succeeded.

Nowadays there is running a project to substitute the old pipes that held the ruins steady for new supports, which are supposed to recreate the characteristics of the antique Franciscan temple.  

San Agustín Ruins were located meters away from the San Francisco Ruins. They were kept safe until 1954 but, although they were declared as Historical National Monument in 1941, they were pulled down in 1941 by a national decree. 

The Spanish forced Indigenous peoples to convert to Christianity in order to strengthen their empire's wealth and power in the Americas.

Did the Spanish force the natives to convert to Christianity?

Supposedly, the colonists would pay the native people for their labor and convert them to Christianity. In reality, the natives were either forced to accept Christianity or were given little or no religious instruction, were cruelly treated, and in effect reduced to slaves.

San Agustín consisted in a church and a convent. This order owned the most important assets, properties and lands after the Jesuits were expelled in 1767. But in 1825, the entire place switched to the hands of the government and, later, to the General Schools Directions.

In 1954, the president of the country signed the 15.258 decree allowing the destruction of the wrecks (“Its value must yield to other public necessities”) by leaving unprotected a priceless asset of the society. The ruins were pulled down and the Mariano Moreno School was built above.

Between 1996 and 1997, a research in the school revealed some remains of the wrecks. In 2000, after a reconstruction of the school, new pieces were found.  A rescue mission increased the little number of preserved architectonical assets of the colonial Mendoza.  

What natives lived in Mendoza Argentina?

With the arrival of the Spaniards, the territory of Mendoza was occupied by the Huarpe Indians, in the Uco Valley, North and Northwest, the Incas at Uspallata and the Mendoza River Valley and the Puelches to the South of the Mendoza River.

What is the history of Mendoza?

Mendoza was settled by Spaniards from Chile in 1561. Throughout the colonial period it remained a sparsely populated frontier area under constant threat of Indian raids. In 1776 it was detached from Chile to become part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, and it became a province in 1820.

Million people in Argentina. Consider themselves descendants of the original indigenous groups most of them live in poverty. And continue to fight for survival.

Mendoza is the biggest wine region in South America, with wines produced in this region shipped far and wide all over the world

History of Mendoza

With the arrival of the Spaniards, the territory of Mendoza was occupied by the Huarpe Indians, in the Uco Valley, North and Northwest, the Incas at Uspallata and the Mendoza River Valley and the Puelches to the South of the Mendoza River. Later on, between the XVIII and XIX centuries, the Pehuenches entered these territories, especially at the Malargüe district. The Huarpes stand out because they had developed a net of irrigation channels in the Huentota Valley (city of Mendoza today), which enabled them to grow potatoes and corn. The Spaniards found this clever system, which they later called "Dique de la Toma de los españoles" (Spanish Capture Dam).

The Huarpes were a peaceable, sedentary and agricultural people. Their clothes consisted of two calicos: one, from the waist to the knees and another one on the shoulders, fastened over the chest with a cactus thorn. Some women would ornament their clothes with guanaco furs tied over their shoulders or fastened around their waists. They also wore long necklaces.

On March 2, 1561, Pedro del Castillo founded the city and named it Mendoza after the governor of Chile, Don García Hurtado de Mendoza. A new expedition in charge of Captain Juan Jufré, attempted to eliminate what Del Castillo had done and, as he had found a more competent site, moved the city to the left margin at "two harquebus shots" to the Southwest on March 28, 1562, and renamed it "Resurrección - Provincia de Huarpes". However, time and facts were overcome and the name of Mendoza was respected.

The establishment of the Spaniards in the place, who generally resided in Chile, was so difficult that 4 years after Mendoza was founded only 12 Spaniards remained. The governor of Chile took drastic measures, such as withdrawing economical support given to the grocers that would not get established. Therefore, the settlement started to increase and in the year 1600, the population reached some 80 Spanish settlers. The willingness and gentleness of the indians enabled the grocers to become established, but some Spaniards moved the indians into Chile. For such reason, indian manpower was affected and finally replaced by slaves.

Two years after the foundation, the Cabildo received the powers to distribute the lands. Thus, the first farms and vegetable gardens located around the built-up area started to appear. From that moment on and during the XVII century, the evangelizing and cultural labor of the Jesuits started, and the following century, a whole series of political-administrative changes that would affect the region's development would take place. Agricultural production recorded by chroniclers and travelers during the XVI century continued its development during the XVII and XVIII centuries.

We have pointed out the origins of agriculture in the primitive farms and vegetable gardens watered by indian irrigation channels. As cultivation spread, new irrigation courses were outlined, to such extent that by the XVIII century there were eighty three channels, with waters from the Mendoza and Tunuyán Rivers. In 1776, with the creation of the Río de la Plata Viceroyalty, the political structure was modified, and in 1783 Cuyo became part of the Gobernación de Córdoba del Tucumán, being the Marquis of Sobremonte appointed provincial governor. Not until 1788 could an irrigation work over the river be performed. The agricultural and cattle-raising population gave origin to a significant industrial activity. Wines, brandy, dry fruit, flour and oil constituted the main lines derived from agriculture.

In the early XVIII century, Mendoza's trade with other provinces was making progress. Wine, brandy and olive oils were taken to Buenos Aires. On those days, commercial transportation was done in wooden carts, covered with leather awnings with walls of reeds or straw. In 1813, the state of Cuyo was created and General José de San Martín became Governor. In Mendoza, in the XIX century, preparations for the epic liberating achievement were made by the General José de San Martín, which would eventually manage independence from Spain, providing major autonomy. In January 1817, San Martín left Mendoza and led its army across the Andes to liberate Chile and Perú. Destroyed by an earthquake on March 20, 1861, Mendoza was re-built and, during the following century, became the regional metropolis of Cuyo, with an important commercial, industrial, financial and cultural development.