The “Conquista Espritual del Reino de Chile”: layers of a XVII century Jesuit chronicle

Abstract

The Jesuit Diego de Rosales is known for his General History of the Kingdom of Chile, which discloses the physical nature of the region and the life and customs of the Mapuche people. However, his other writing of importance, the Spiritual Conquest of the Kingdom of Chile, has virtually remained unpublished, although it concerns a major work –consisting of 429 folios in two columns– that discloses not only the life and work of the priests of the Society, who performed apostolic tasks in Chile, but important forms of everyday life and permanent work with indigenous people of southern region, which contrasts with the collective imaginary concerning the Spanish performance in the area. In this paper, we will take account of the sociocultural and linguistic contact that Diego de Rosales transmitted, directly or indirectly, through this Jesuit menology.