Santiago among the Chiriguana: A Case of Acculturation and Resistance

Abstract

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Chiriguana, Chiriguanaes, or Guaraní were considered “war Indians.” The Spanish established contact with them, exchanging Chane Indians captured by the Chiriguana for “weapons and things they lacked.” In 1573, they appeared before Viceroy Toledo to announce a miracle: the appearance of a man calling himself “Santiago,” who had preached to and persuaded them.