Las órdenes religiosas en espacio urbano colonial - Mendoza (Argentina). El caso de la compañía de Jesús

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to study the presence and the action of the regular clergy, in particular The Society of Jesus in Mendoza, which was a peripheral city and part of the Spanish empire in South America, from the urban history point of view. We recognize the Society of Jesus as a special and relevant character in Mendocinian colonial times because of the importance of their buildings and properties, their spatial location in the city and their connection with the community and the other members of the regular clergy. The Jesuits were the founders of the first school and the first public library. They were important providers of basic food such as beef and wheat, because they had an efficient network of productive establishments (farms, vineyards and mills) devoted to agricultural and livestock farming. These farms were situated not only in the oasis of Mendoza but also in the Uco Valley (which is the oasis of the Tunuyán River).