Mapping Souls: Religious Cartography and the Sh...

Mapping Souls: Religious Cartography and the Shaping of Faith in 17th Century South America

The 17th century witnessed a surge in cartographic activity across the globe, driven by burgeoning trade, colonial expansion, and an insatiable thirst for knowledge. While maps are often perceived as objective representations of geographic space, they are, in fact, deeply imbued with cultural and ideological biases. In 17th-century South America, religious institutions and individuals wielded the power of cartography to not merely chart physical landscapes but also to map souls, shaping faith, solidifying power, and furthering missionary endeavors. This essay examines how religious cartography in this period served as a tool for constructing and reinforcing religious identity, extending the reach of evangelization, and interpreting the spiritual significance of the New World.

The Spiritual Cartography of Missionary Endeavors

The Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, played a pivotal role in the mapping of 17th-century South America. Committed to both evangelization and scientific inquiry, Jesuit missionaries created maps that served a dual purpose: to facilitate their missionary work and to document the geography, flora, fauna, and native populations of the continent. These maps weren't simply about finding the quickest route to a new settlement; they were about locating potential converts and establishing spiritual claims to territory.

Consider, for instance, the Carta Chorographica do Brasil, a series of maps produced throughout the 17th century by Jesuit cartographers such as João Teixeira Albernaz, the Elder. These maps meticulously documented the vast Brazilian coastline and interior, highlighting Jesuit missions and settlements. More than just geographic data, these maps symbolically asserted the presence and influence of the Catholic Church in the region. The depiction of indigenous villages often included the presence of a church or a cross, visually signaling the progress of conversion and the dominion of Christian faith. Such cartographic representations contributed to a narrative of spiritual conquest, framing the colonization of South America as a divinely ordained mission to bring Christianity to the "heathen" populations.

Further inland, Jesuit missions in Paraguay and Uruguay similarly utilized cartography to manage and control vast territories populated by indigenous Guarani peoples. The famed "reductions," settlements designed to protect and evangelize the Guarani, were often depicted on maps as meticulously organized, self-sufficient communities, demonstrating the success of the Jesuit mission model. These representations not only served as propaganda for the Jesuit order, showcasing their accomplishments to patrons and authorities in Europe, but also functioned as practical tools for administering the reductions and coordinating missionary efforts across a sprawling geographic area. Father Antonio Ruiz de Montoya’s account, Conquista Espiritual hecha por los religiosos de la Compañia de Jesus en las Provincias del Paraguay, Uruguay y Tape, though primarily a text, implicitly outlines a spatial and religious strategy that mapping later helped solidify.

Mapping Pilgrimage and Sacred Space

Beyond missionary endeavors, religious cartography also played a crucial role in defining and promoting pilgrimage routes and sacred spaces in 17th-century South America. The establishment of new shrines and sanctuaries often involved the creation of maps that guided pilgrims to these sites and emphasized their spiritual significance. These maps, often less precise in their geographic accuracy than those produced for missionary purposes, prioritized symbolic representation and devotional imagery.

The Sanctuary of Copacabana, located on the shores of Lake Titicaca in present-day Bolivia, became a major pilgrimage destination in the 17th century, venerating the Virgin of Copacabana, a dark-skinned representation of the Virgin Mary. Maps depicting the pilgrimage route to Copacabana emphasized the arduousness of the journey, highlighting the physical and spiritual challenges faced by pilgrims as they sought divine grace. The depiction of the sanctuary itself often included elaborate architectural details and representations of miracles attributed to the Virgin, reinforcing its sanctity and attracting more devotees.

Similarly, maps showcasing the layout of churches and monasteries, particularly in major colonial cities like Lima and Potosí, served to reinforce the spatial order of the Catholic Church and its dominance over the urban landscape. These maps often highlighted the location of important relics, altars, and chapels, transforming the built environment into a tangible manifestation of Catholic faith and power.

Challenging European Norms: Indigenous Perspectives and Hybrid Cartographies

While much of the religious cartography of 17th-century South America was produced by European missionaries and colonial authorities, it is important to acknowledge the role of indigenous knowledge and perspectives in shaping these maps. In many cases, indigenous guides and informants provided crucial information about local geography, resources, and population distribution, which was then incorporated into European maps.

Moreover, some indigenous communities developed their own unique forms of cartographic representation, blending traditional knowledge with European cartographic techniques. These hybrid maps often reflected a distinct worldview, emphasizing the interconnectedness of the natural and spiritual realms and challenging the Eurocentric biases of colonial cartography. For example, the Relaciones Geográficas of the late 16th century, commissioned by the Spanish crown, included maps and descriptions of indigenous territories that often incorporated indigenous perspectives on land ownership, resource management, and religious beliefs. While these documents were ultimately intended to serve the interests of the Spanish crown, they also provide valuable insights into indigenous understandings of space and their resistance to colonial imposition. Further research into surviving indigenous cartographic artifacts is crucial to understand the complexities of religious belief and its spatial manifestations outside the dominant European paradigm.

Conclusion: The Enduring Legacy of Religious Cartography

The religious cartography of 17th-century South America offers a fascinating window into the complex interplay of faith, power, and spatial representation during a period of profound cultural and religious transformation. These maps, produced by missionaries, colonial authorities, and indigenous communities, served not only to chart the physical landscape but also to shape religious identity, extend the reach of evangelization, and interpret the spiritual significance of the New World. By analyzing the symbolic and practical functions of these maps, we can gain a deeper understanding of how religious institutions and individuals used cartography to construct and reinforce their faith, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to shape the cultural and religious landscape of South America today. Further exploration of these historical documents through a lens attentive to both their overt religious function and their implicit power dynamics will yield even richer understandings of the spiritual conquest and its lasting influence.

Citations

• Alberdi Vallejo, Asier. "Mapping the Sacred Landscape: Religious Cartography in Colonial Latin America." Imago Mundi 68, no. 1 (2016): 78-96.
• Certeau, Michel de. The Practice of Everyday Life. Translated by Steven Rendall. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.
• Edney, Matthew H. Mapping an Empire: The Geographical Construction of British India, 1765-1843. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997.
• Montoya, Antonio Ruiz de. Conquista Espiritual hecha por los religiosos de la Compañia de Jesus en las Provincias del Paraguay, Uruguay y Tape. Madrid, 1639.
• Mundy, Barbara E. The Mapping of New Spain: Indigenous Cartography and the Maps of the Relaciones Geográficas. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.
• Teixeira Albernaz, João, the Elder. Carta Chorographica do Brasil. Lisbon, c. 1666. (Various editions and fragments).