Mission Culture

David Block's Mission Culture on the Upper Amazon is the definitive account of Mission history in Mojos. The book was published in 1994 by the University of Nebraska Press, which makes it hard to find in print. On Barnes and Noble they have copies, starting at $224.48. Fortunately, the book is also available here on the Cornell eCommons, which certainly reflects well on Cornell University and their library. You can download the entire book in PDF format.

Baroque music

The Jesuit missionaries who came to the interior of South America late in the 17th century were determined to create a new kind of society in the New World, based on different principles. One of the most powerful expressions of those ideas is the Baroque musical tradition, which flourished as indigenous children learned how to play the music of Bach and other composers on instruments which were also made in the missions. The Jesuits were expelled from the missions in 1767, but the musical tradition continued, and is now experiencing a revival. Although the Chiquitos missions to the south are better known in this regard, the Mojos missions had a musical tradition as well. This radio report comes from National Public Radio.