draft manuscript - Linguistics - University of California, Berkeley

Ecuador), 314 were sent to found a new mission settlement among the Omagua that a stable relationship
between the Jesuits and surviving Omaguas was re-established (Anonymous [1731]1922:130).
Zurmühlen remained with the Omagua until 1726, when he was appointed Superior and departed
for Lagunas (it is unclear at what point Julian left), 315 and during this time, he moved the settlement
approximately one half day’s journey upriver, at the suggestions of the Omagua themselves, 316
into territory previously inhabited by the Yameo, a Peba-Yaguan group among which Zurmühlen
had also carried out missionary work (de Zárate et al. ([1735]1904:299), de Zárate ([1739]1904:374),
de Velasco ([1789]1981:509)).
Zurmühlen’s tenure among the Omagua marked a period that lasted until the Jesuit expulsion
in 1767 in which San Joaquín de Omaguas was not only stable, but became the principal center
for missionary activity in the lowland regions of Maynas. The record of the missionaries present
in San Joaquín between Zurmühlen’s departure in 1726 and Iriarte’s arrival in 1748 (see below)
becomes somewhat unclear, however. It is clear that Karl Brentano (b. 1694 Komárom, Hungary
– d. 1752 Genoa) 317 was resident there as early as March 1737 and as late as August 1738, during
which time he made significant efforts to populate San Joaquín de Omaguas with additional Peba-
Yaguan groups from the hinterlands of the Itaya river basin (Brentano had previously worked
with the Peba-Yaguan Yameos in San Regis). De Velasco ([1789]1981:509) indicates that Ignatius
Mickel (b. 1692 Häusling, Austria – d. 1780 Landsberg, Germany) 318 worked for 27 years among the
Omagua, Payagua, Yameo and Jebero, but we have encountered no specific reference to him working
in San Joaquín. Note that by 1738, Mickel was stationed at San Regis (Maroni [1738]1988:391),
which appears to have regularly interchanged priests with San Joaquín, 319 making it likely that
Mickel would have spent time in San Joaquín. The French explorer Charles Marie de la Condamine
visited San Joaquín in July 1743, but does not mention the presence of a resident missionary (de la
Condamine [1745]1813:225-228).
In 1748, Martín Iriarte (b. 1707 Galar, Spain – d. 1779 Ravenna) 320 began working in San
Joaquín de Omaguas, departing in 1756 when he was appointed Superior (Uriarte [1776]1986:221).
Upon Iriarte’s appointment as Superior, Manuel Joaquín Uriarte (b. 1720 Zurbano, Spain – d. ∼1802
Vitoria, Spain) was appointed Vice Superior and took up residence in San Joaquín, remaining there
for the next seven years (Uriarte [1776]1986). Uriarte returned to his previous mission site of San
Regis in early 1764 (Uriarte [1776]1986:347-348), at which time Josef Palme (b. 1733 Rumburg-
Warnsdorf, Bohemia – d. 1770 Bologna) 321 became missionary at San Joaquín (ibid.), remaining
there until 1768 (Uriarte [1776]1986:630), when the Jesuits were expelled from Maynas.
Table 9.1 summarizes in chronological order our knowledge of Jesuit missionaries who worked
among the Omagua.
known as Bernardo Zurmillen, with various inconsistencies in the spelling of the surname.
314 Jouanen (1943:736); also known as Juan Bautista Julián.
315 Zurmühlen was Superior until 1729, when he was succeeded by his former counterpart, Julian, who remained
Superior until 1735 (Jouanen 1943:722). Zurmühlen carried on as missionary at Lagunas beginning in 1730,
lasting until his death on 15 April 1735 (de Zárate et al. [1735]1904:294-295).
316 See the 1731 letter from Pablo Maroni, then missionary among the Yameo, to Ángel María Manca (Maroni
[1738]1988:379).
317 Jouanen (1943:726)
318 Jouanen (1943:738-739); also known as Ignacio Mickel.
319 For example, Brentano himself had been missionary at San Regis as late as September 1734 (Maroni
[1738]1988:391).
320 Jouanen (1943:735)
321 Jouanen (1943:741); also known as José Palme.
322 In addition to the men listed here, the following men were brought from Quito to San Joaquín by Fritz in August
1707, and left to work with Sanna: Pierre Bollaert (b. 1675 Malines, Belgium – d. 1709 San Joaquín de Omaguas);
Andrés Cobo (b. 1673 Popayán, Colombia – d. 1758 Quito); Matías Laso (b. 1676 Buga, Colombia – d. 1721 at
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