A Clash of Cultures

During the 16th and 17th centuries, Spanish conquistadores invaded the Amazon. Close on their heels were Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries intent on converting the natives to the Roman Catholic faith. Those missionaries made marvelous maps that opened up the Amazon to European interests. But the missionaries also opened the way for disease and destruction.

For example, in 1638 a mission was founded in what is now Maynas Province. The missionaries rounded up the natives, indiscriminately lumping rival groups together and forcing them to integrate into community life. For what “noble” purpose? Because the natives were viewed as ignorant and inferior, they were forced to work for the missionaries and conquistadores. As a result of close contact with Europeans, thousands of natives died from measles, smallpox, diphtheria, and leprosy. Thousands more died from hunger.

Many Indians fled the missions set up by the various religious orders, and dozens of missionaries were murdered in uprisings. In fact, at one point in the early decades of the 19th century, only one priest remained in the Amazon region.

The Influence of Shamans and Superstition

To the inhabitants of the Amazon, the jungle is full of souls wandering at night, spirits causing illness, and gods lurking in the rivers awaiting unwary victims. Consider the Aguaruna, one of the largest groups in Peru. They revere five different gods: “Father Warrior,” “Father Water,” “Mother Earth,” “Father Sun,” and a “shaman Father.” Many believe that humans are transformed into plants and animals. Fearful of offending spirit beings, the natives refrain from killing certain animals and hunt others only when necessary.

Presiding over traditional religious life and society are the shamans, or medicine men, who use hallucinogenic plants to enter into trances. Some villagers look to these men to cure illnesses, to foresee the outcome of hunting and planting, and to foretell other future events.