Plot Summary Father Gabriel ascends the mountains of

Plot Summary � Father Gabriel ascends the mountains of Brazil to bring Christianity to the natives. He is successful and brings about a golden age among them. � Rodrigo Mendoza, a slave-trader, kills his brother in a fit of rage, and only Fr. Gabriel's guidance prevents his suicide. Gabriel brings Mendoza to work at his mission with the natives, and Mendoza finds peace and asks to become a priest. � The church , under pressure, cedes the land to the Portuguese which will allow slave-traders in again. Mendoza breaks his vows and organizes the natives to resist while Gabriel warns him to help them as a priest.

Historical Basis � � The Mission is based on events surrounding the Treaty of Madrid in 1750, in which Spain ceded part of Jesuit Paraguay to Portugal. The film's narrator, "Altamirano", speaking in hindsight in 1758, was sent to Paraguay in 1752 to transfer territory from Spain to Portugal. He oversaw the transfer of seven missions south and east of the Río Uruguay, that had been settled by Guaranis and Jesuits in the 17 th century. As compensation, Spain promised each mission 4, 000 pesos, or fewer than 1 peso for each of the 30, 000 Guaranis of the seven missions, while the cultivated lands, livestock, and buildings were estimated to be worth 7 -16 million pesos. The film's climax is the Guarani War of 1754 -1756, during which historical Guaranis defended their homes against Spanish-Portuguese forces implementing the Treaty of Madrid.

The Characters

The Jesuits: Father Gabriel is a Jesuit priest who enters the South American rainforest with the intention of building a Christian mission. � His challenging task is the conversion of a small tribe of native Amazonian Indians. � Father Gabriel defends the Indians and their acceptance of the faith to the Altamirano. �

The Jesuits: Rodrigo Mendoza Spanish army officer turned slave trader Rodrigo Mendoza is part of the thriving South American slave business. He eventually murders his own brother. � Stricken by grief and remorse, Mendoza is saved by Father Gabriel's guidance, and joins him in his mission. Here Mendoza finds peace and seeks to become a priest. �

The Church: Cardinal Altamirano The Cardinal Altamirano was sent to South America by the Pope to settle the argument between the Spanish and Portuguese. � He decided that the mission territories and people were to be transferred to Portugal, where they would become slaves. �

Spain Don Cabeza is a Spanish diplomat who wishes to conduct a slave-trading business in the mission territories. � He used to work closely with Rodrigo Mendoza until Rodrigo became a priest. �

Portugal � Sr. Hontar, a diplomat from Portugal, wanted the Spanish mission territories so that he could use the Indians as slaves.

Colonial System in America Assignment � In new groups of three, you need to research and present (via Power. Point) 5 separate, important points from the following sections. You also must answer the corresponding questions (answers may count as points). � Las controversias (68) Questions #1, 2, 3, 4 � La maquinaria imperial (70) Questions # 5, 6, 7 � El monopolio comercial (71) Question # 8 � El oro y la plata de las Indias (72) Questions 9, 10 � De la encomienda a la hacienda (73) Question # 11 � La esclavitud (74) Question # 12 � La Iglesia en America (75) Question # 13