Jesuit and Guarani Reaction to Treaty of Madrid

The Treaty of Madrid in 1750 that was signed by Spain and Portugal forced 29,000 Guarani and their Jesuit missionaries to move from their seven missions in the Rio de la Plata region to the Jesuit missions west of the Uruguay River. The seven Jesuit missions east of the Uruguay River had been turned over to Portugal in exchange for Portugal's withdrawal from Colonia de Sacramento. The Guarani were given the option to stay by the Spanish but their land would now belong to the Portuguese and they would be subjects of the Portuguese crown.

The Guarani's reaction to the Treaty of Madrid was at first, peaceful disbelief. They did not understand why the Spanish would give up their land to the Portuguese after they were the ones who worked the land and constructed the Spanish churches and towns for them. They could also not understand why the Spanish would bring them out of the forest, educate them, and then sacrifice them to the Portuguese, especially after the King of Spain promised them that he would look after their needs and always protect them.

In 1754, the Jesuits surrendered control of the missions to the Portuguese but the Guarani in the seven missions refused to relocate. This led to the Guarani War (or War of the Seven Reductions 1754-1756) between a combined Spanish-Portuguese army and the Guarani of the seven reductions. In 1756, after two years of skirmishes the Spanish and Portuguese led a force of 3,000 against the Guarani that resulted in the death of 1500+ Guarani and the occupation of the seven reductions by the Spanish and Portuguese.

Spain and Portugal eventually anulled the 1750 Treaty of Madrid in 1761 with the Treaty of El Pardo that allowed Spain to regain control of the seven reductions in the Rio de la Plata region.


Ganson,Barbara A. The Guarani Under Spanish Rule in the Rio de la Plata. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2003.