Revisiting Cultivated Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Daily Life in the Guaraní Missions

A critical reassessment of Jesuit mission records and economic data reveals that the Guaraní missions, despite efforts to Europeanize their inhabitants through agriculture and animal husbandry, failed to fully implement the rigid work schedules associated with these practices. This challenges the traditional narrative that the Jesuits successfully transitioned the Guaranís from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to settled, domesticated economies.

Sarreal, J. (2013). Revisiting Cultivated Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Daily Life in the Guaraní Missions. Ethnohistory, 60(1), 101–124. https://doi.org/10.1215/00141801-1816193