Abstract
This paper examines the tragic film, "The Mission". It provides a synopsis of the movie, which occurs in colonial South America under the rule of Spain and Portugal. The paper describes an era when Jesuit priests traveled form Europe to South America to start Catholic missions.

From the Paper
"'The Mission' is a tragic movie that evokes many emotions in its viewers. The events of the movie occur during a period when the Spanish and Portuguese had created a treaty over land in South America. The stories of the South American missions and the Guarani people are told in the movie. The events of the movie occur during the colonial period, a time Jesuit priests traveled form Europe to South America to start missions. The Jesuits? goal was to convert the native Indians from their tribal beliefs to the Catholic traditions. The missions were very successful and flourished. The reason the missions were successful is because the Guarani Indians fled from the jungle to the missions for protection from slave hunters. One particular slave hunter was Rodrigo Mendoza. This movie gave a detailed overview of the life of Rodrigo because he symbolized a cycle of transformation. This transformation was from a slaver hunter to kind Jesuit Priest. The slave hunter Rodrigo undergoes a transformation from the barbaric ways of a slave trader to the peaceful life of a Jesuit priest".

Tags: america, deniero, indians, mission, religion, slaves, south, spain, portugal