Pedro Lozano
Encyclopedia
Father Pedro Lozano was a Spanish
ethnographer, historian and Jesuit Missionary.
and arrived in the Americas at an early age, in 1714, bound for the Jesuit Reductions
of Paraguay
. He studied at the Collegium Maximum in Córdoba
, where he became a lecturer in philosophy
and theology
. He also taught at the college in Santa Fe
between 1724 and 1730, eventually returning to Córdoba as historian of the Jesuit province of Paraguay.
He produced various geographical and historical works, the most notable being Descripción chorographica [...] del Gran Chaco. This work has a detailed map by Father Antonio Machoni, and contains numerous ethnographic details of the peoples of the Gran Chaco
, as well as descriptions of the rivers, a study of the types of soil, numerous observations on the flora of the region, and in particular the medicinal plants, and interesting observations on the fauna. It is a curious fact that Lozano entertained a remarkable opinion of yerba mate
: in Historia de la Conquista del Paraguay he writes that it "is the most fitting method to destroy the human type or most wretched nation of the Guarani Indians" .
He died in Humahuaca
(in present-day Argentina
), and his remains were interred at the church of San Antonio de Padua in the small town of Uquia.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
ethnographer, historian and Jesuit Missionary.
Life
He was born in MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and arrived in the Americas at an early age, in 1714, bound for the Jesuit Reductions
Jesuit Reductions
A Jesuit Reduction was a type of settlement for indigenous people in Latin America created by the Jesuit Order during the 17th and 18th centuries. In general, the strategy of the Spanish Empire was to gather native populations into centers called Indian Reductions , in order to Christianize, tax,...
of 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...
. He studied at the Collegium Maximum in Córdoba
Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province. Córdoba is the second-largest city in Argentina after the federal capital Buenos Aires, with...
, where he became a lecturer in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
. He also taught at the college in Santa Fe
Santa Fe, Argentina
Santa Fe is the capital city of province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It sits in northeastern Argentina, near the junction of the Paraná and Salado rivers. It lies opposite the city of Paraná, to which it is linked by the Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel. The city is also connected by canal with the...
between 1724 and 1730, eventually returning to Córdoba as historian of the Jesuit province of Paraguay.
He produced various geographical and historical works, the most notable being Descripción chorographica [...] del Gran Chaco. This work has a detailed map by Father Antonio Machoni, and contains numerous ethnographic details of the peoples of 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...
, as well as descriptions of the rivers, a study of the types of soil, numerous observations on the flora of the region, and in particular the medicinal plants, and interesting observations on the fauna. It is a curious fact that Lozano entertained a remarkable opinion of yerba mate
Yerba mate
Maté, yerba maté or erva maté , Ilex paraguariensis, is a species of holly native to subtropical South America in northeastern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay...
: in Historia de la Conquista del Paraguay he writes that it "is the most fitting method to destroy the human type or most wretched nation of the Guarani Indians" .
He died in Humahuaca
Humahuaca
Humahuaca is a city in the province of Jujuy, Argentina. It has 11,369 inhabitants as per the , and is the principal town of the Department of Humahuaca...
(in present-day Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
), and his remains were interred at the church of San Antonio de Padua in the small town of Uquia.
Works
- Descripción chorographica de Terreno Ríos, Arboles, y Animales de los dilatadísimas provincias del Gran Chaco, Gualamba, y de los Ritos y Costumbres de la inumerables naciones de barbaros e infideles que le habitan. Con un cabal Relación Histórica de lo que en ellos han obrado para conquistarlas algunos Gobernadores y Ministros Reales, y los Misioneros Jesuitas para reducirlos a la fe del Verdadero Dios. Córdoba: Joseph Santos Balbas, 1733.
- Historia de la Compañía de la Jesús de la Provincia del Paraguay. Madrid, 1755.
- Historia de la Conquista del Paraguay, Río de la Plata y Tucumán. Reprinted Buenos Aires: Imprenta Popular, 1873-75
- Historia de las Revoluciones de la Provincia del Paraguay 1721-1735 Facsimile reprint. Buenos Aires: Cabaut y Cía, 1905.