The first and the last Provincial of the Society of Jesus in Peru

Abstract

This biographical and administrative article narrates the history of the Society of Jesus in Peru taking into account the founder of the order and the last Provincial during the expulsion. It details the arrival of Father Gerónimo Ruíz del Portillo in 1568, the first Provincial, who organized the province, founded the College of San Pablo and that of Cuzco, and promoted education and missions in regions such as Huarochirí and Potosí. In contrast, the government of the last Provincial, Fr. José Pérez de Vargas, who faced the expulsion decree of Charles III in 1767, is recounted. The text minutely describes the execution of the order by Viceroy Amat, the secret nocturnal arrest of the Jesuits, and their exile. Finally, the author analyzes the administration of the "Temporalities" (confiscated assets), denouncing the mismanagement, the depreciation of estates, and the disappearance of huge funds that did not meet the intended pious purposes, depriving the country of educational and missionary resources.