Religion and Trade: The Native Revolt of 1790 Against the Franciscans in the Upper Amazon Frontier

From 1693 to 1790, Franciscan missionaries attempted to convert various native peoples who inhabited the Putumayo and Caquetá river systems of present day Colombia and Ecuador.  By 1790, the missions were limited to the upper Caquetá region and they came to an abrupt end when there was a general uprising of indigenous groups.  After almost a century of continuous efforts to proselytize the naturales of the region, the missionaries had failed.  This paper will analyze the native revolt of 1790 and the Franciscans’ efforts in the late colonial period to fulfill their frontier mission.  While full understanding of the motivations of the Native Americans of this region is difficult due to the complete lack of indigenous sources, the revolt reveals the complex nature of the relationships and interactions that existed between missionaries, native peoples, and civilians in this multi-racial, multi-ethnic frontier region.  The nexus of religious conversion and trade created a negotiated space between Franciscans and indigenes that was often tenuous and, at times, volatile.