The Jesuits in Mexican History

The Jesuits in history
Introductory text: Whether through their pastoral work or their contributions to culture or science, the Jesuits have left a mark on the world that is difficult to overlook.

The Jesuits in Mexican History
The Jesuits arrived in Mexico in 1572, evangelizing and educating in the States of Guanajuato, San Luis Potosi and Coahuila. They would later expand to other regions of the territory.

With the goal of converting people to Christianity, the Jesuits founded schools and cities. Those who accepted then joined forces to build a mission and, once it was established, the Jesuits would travel to other places with the same purpose.

More information at: http://www.profesorenlinea.cl/Paisesmundo/Mexico/Jesuitas_en_Mexico.html

The Jesuits and the Independence of Mexico: interview with Alfonso Alfaro
In 1767, the Society of Jesus was driven out of all the territories of the Spanish Empire. Historian Alfonso Alfaro explains what this meant for Mexico: "The country lost an intellectual elite that had enjoyed an organic and natural relationship with the business elites, because these elites were their family members, their friends, and had been educated in Jesuit schools."

Alfaro argues that the expulsion also meant that the Jesuits had information from a number of countries, which they could communicate in the Nahuatl, Papago and Tarahumara languages. He contends that this kind of cosmopolitan elite, two centuries later, has yet to be reconstructed.

More information at: http://magis.iteso.mx/node/459

The Jesuits celebrate the 200^th anniversary of their Restoration – the expulsion
In 2014, the Society of Jesus celebrated the Bicentennial of their restoration, and as part of the festivities, Francisco Magaña Aviña, SJ, the provincial of the Jesuits in Mexico, met with the Jesuit community of Guadalajara.

Magaña also visited the Jesuits of the Retreat House in Puente Grande and explained how one of the first experiences of St. Ignatius of Loyola came when he realized that communication was a key to understanding how God contacts His creatures.

More information at: http://magis.iteso.mx/redaccion/los-jesuitas-celebran-200-de-la-restauraci%C3%B3n

The Jesuits in Mexico: a legacy full of history
In 2014, as part of the festivities for the Bicentennial of the Restoration of the Society of Jesus, the National Museum of the Viceroyalty was inaugurated in Tepotzotlán, State of Mexico, with the exhibit "The Construction of Mestizo Mexico: The Jesuits, Expulsion and Restoration," which invited visitors to reflect on the importance of the Society in the construction of the Mexican identity. 

More information at: : http://magis.iteso.mx/redaccion/los-jesuitas-en-m%C3%A9xico-un-legado-lleno-de-historia

Photo gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/iteso/albums/72157645352768057/with/14683875201/