The Dominicans In The Province Of Mendoza. Their Religious, Educational And Cultural Actions

Abstract

The Order of the Preachers, also known as Dominican Order
or Dominicans was one of the first religious orders installed
in the American colonies in order to spread the gospel and
convert the natives to Catholicism. From the beginning they
were distinguished for their apostolic spirit and defence of the
natives and they were well aware of the favourable attitude of
the Spanish Crown to them and express their desire to engage
in evangelization.

The province of Mendoza, as a part of the Cuyo Region, under
the administrative jurisdiction of the Chilean Government,
also received religious orders which came from Chile. The first
two religious congregations to reach Mendoza were Mercedarios
and Dominicans. In 1563 arrived Friars Antonio Perez
and Marcos Rengifo from the Order of Preachers and settled
in the city of Mendoza, years later founded the first convent of
Santo Domingo Soriano with an annexed literacy school. The
Order of Preachers installed in the region of Cuyo depended in
the beginning of the Vicariate of Chile and the Dominican Province
of Peru, until it joined the new Province of St. Lawrence
Martyr of Chile. During the following years, according to official
ecclesiastical documents and the analyzed bibliography,
we observe that the situation of the Order and the Convent
were of prosperity, growth and especially dedicated to evangelization
and religious education of the natives.

Keywords: Dominicans, Preachers, evangelization, Mendoza,
native.