Juan de Atienza
Encyclopedia
Juan de Atienza was a Spanish Jesuit missionary in South America.
, but in 1564 forsook the legal career in order to become a Jesuit.
While in Spain, he was Prefect of the College of Ávila, Procurator of the Province of his order, founder of the College of Villa Garcia
, its rector and master of novices, and rector of the College of Valladolid. He learned of a call for fifty Jesuits, to be sent to Peru
; he asked permission to become one of their number.
He reached Lima
in 1581 and found there his appointment as rector of the College of San Pablo. In that capacity he was surrogate to the Provincial, Father Baltasar de Piñas, and founded, under the direction of the Company of Jesus, the College of San Martin, the first school of secular learning established at Lima. The foundation of that school was confirmed by Pope Sixtus V
, in 1585, and Father Atienza became its first rector.
In 1580 he was made Provincial of the Jesuits in Peru. He fostered and extend the missions in Ecuador
, the Gran Chaco
, Tucuman and Paraguay
. Out of these efforts the province of Paraguay was born in 1607. During that period a printing press was established by the Jesuits at the Indian village of Juli
. Jointly with Father Jose de Acosta
, he directed the publication of catechism
s and textbooks of Christian doctrine for the use of the Indians. These religious primers were printed between the years 1583 and 1590, at Lima. They are in Spanish, Quichua, and Aymará
.
Life
He was the eldest son of the royal Councillor of Castile, Bartolome de Atienza, a distinguished jurisconsult under Charles V of Spain. He studied law at the University of SalamancaUniversity of Salamanca
The University of Salamanca is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the town of Salamanca, west of Madrid. It was founded in 1134 and given the Royal charter of foundation by King Alfonso IX in 1218. It is the oldest founded university in Spain and the third oldest European...
, but in 1564 forsook the legal career in order to become a Jesuit.
While in Spain, he was Prefect of the College of Ávila, Procurator of the Province of his order, founder of the College of Villa Garcia
Villa García
Villa García - Manga Rural is a barrio of Montevideo, Uruguay.- External links :***...
, its rector and master of novices, and rector of the College of Valladolid. He learned of a call for fifty Jesuits, to be sent to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
; he asked permission to become one of their number.
He reached Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
in 1581 and found there his appointment as rector of the College of San Pablo. In that capacity he was surrogate to the Provincial, Father Baltasar de Piñas, and founded, under the direction of the Company of Jesus, the College of San Martin, the first school of secular learning established at Lima. The foundation of that school was confirmed by Pope Sixtus V
Pope Sixtus V
Pope Sixtus V , born Felice Peretti di Montalto, was Pope from 1585 to 1590.-Early life:The chronicler Andrija Zmajević states that Felice's family originated from modern-day Montenegro...
, in 1585, and Father Atienza became its first rector.
In 1580 he was made Provincial of the Jesuits in Peru. He fostered and extend the missions in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, the Gran Chaco
Gran Chaco
The Gran Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semi-arid lowland region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, where it is connected with the Pantanal region...
, Tucuman and Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
. Out of these efforts the province of Paraguay was born in 1607. During that period a printing press was established by the Jesuits at the Indian village of Juli
Juli
In the German, Dutch, Scandinavian, South Slavic , and Indonesian languages, the name for "July" , but also:* The name of a female...
. Jointly with Father Jose de Acosta
José de Acosta
José de Acosta was a Spanish 16th-century Jesuit missionary and naturalist in Latin America.-Life:...
, he directed the publication of catechism
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
s and textbooks of Christian doctrine for the use of the Indians. These religious primers were printed between the years 1583 and 1590, at Lima. They are in Spanish, Quichua, and Aymará
Aymara language
Aymara is an Aymaran language spoken by the Aymara people of the Andes. It is one of only a handful of Native American languages with over three million speakers. Aymara, along with Quechua and Spanish, is an official language of Peru and Bolivia...
.