From the Global to the Local: Staffing the Jesuit Colegios in Puebla (Nueva España)

Abstract

The Society of Jesus was an international Catholic order involved in educational and missionary activities around the globe. What was the origin of the men who joined the Society of Jesus? This article analyzes the profile of the Jesuits stationed on the five colegios in the Mexican city Puebla de los Ángeles in 1767 at the moment of the expulsion from Spanish territories. It finds, as have other studies, that the majority of the Jesuits were men born in the Americas, and mostly in Mexico. King Carlos III ordered them sent into exile in the Papal States in Italy, although a small number were held as prisoners in Spain. While the majority in Puebla were American-born, it also finds that Jesuits leaders showed a preference for European-born members of the Society on the frontier missions. This was the case of missions on the northern frontier of Mexico, and on the missions among the Guaraní in South America. Finally, the article discusses the process of the expulsion of the Jesuits from Puebla

Keywords

• Recruitment
• Society of Jesus
• Puebla de los Ángeles