Friar Bringas Reports to the King ─ Methods of Indoctrination on the Frontier of New Spain, 1796-97

When Friar Diego Bringas penned his 1796–97 report on conditions in northwestern New Spain, he was imbued with an enthusiastic drive for reform. Hoping to gain the King of Spain’s support in improving the missionary program, Bringas set down a detailed history of all that had happened in the region since Father Kino’s day. His writings offer a valuable study of Spanish attempts to bring about cultural change among the Piman Indians.

Daniel S. Matson and Bernard L. Fontana have translated the Bringas document and added an informative introduction, notes, and references. They analyze Spanish methods of indoctrination and examine the implications in terms of the modern world.

Friar Bringas carefully explained various missionary and secular policies, laws, and regulations. He pointed out why, in his opinion, Spanish efforts to convert the Piman Indians had failed. He also provided a report of the orders establishing the ill-fated Yuma missions. His fascinating account of the Gila River Pimas is one of the most complete ethnographic descriptions from that era.

Friar Bringas Reports to the King is an important study of Spain’s attempts to assimilate the Indians. It offers a deeper understanding of the history of the Pimería Alta.

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Daniel S. Matson's career as a linguist and translator began with a bilingual upbringing on the United States and Mexican border at Douglas, Arizona. Between 1940 and 1944 he worked among the Tohono O'odham Indians, becoming fluent in their tongue and immersing himself in their culture. He studied at the University of Arizona (B.A). and San Luis Rey College in California (M.A. in social studies). In 1950, Matson joined the Anthropology faculty at the University of Arizona. With Albert Schroeder, Matson translated and edited the 1590-91 journal of Gaspar Castaño de Sosa, published as A Colony on the Move.

Bernard L. Fontana, well-known specialist in the history of the Piman Indians and the missions of Pimería Alta, received his Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from the University of Arizona. An ethnologist at the Arizona State Museum and president of the Southwestern Mission Research Center, he has been editor of Ethnohistory and The Kiva, and has edited and coauthored numerous articles and books.