Missionary Villages as Spaces of Resistance

This chapter seeks to highlight the dynamics of adaptation and resistance played by native populations of the American Continent in the space of the aldeamentos—communities established and controlled by missionaries, settlers, or civil authorities aiming at the pacification, subjugation, and Christianization of the so-called gentiles (gentios). The chosen time frame extends from the incorporation of the Lusitanian crown by the Spanish monarchy under Philipp II until the restoration of Portuguese sovereignty, constituting a phase of advance and consolidation of the Iberian colonial presence overseas (1580–1640). The text reinterprets some of the main sources produced in the proposed chronological period, aiming to contribute to the debate about resistance “seen from within”, that is, the protagonist attitude assumed by collectivities that, despite being subjected to a situation of domination and control by colonial powers, acted as historical subjects, seeking to conquer a margin of survival and autonomy.