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Reducciones, are Jesuit monasteries where the poor Indians came to find food, shelter, and hope. The Jesuits were able to convince the King of Spain to grant them a vast region so that the Guaraní would not have fallen victim to the colonial conquest. The Jesuits told the King that the Guaraní would work hard under their supervision so that the region would become an Imperial dominion due to the work of God. For over 150 years, the Jesuits protected the Guaraní from slavery. These reducciones, or missions developed a peculiar kind of Evangelism. The Jesuits introduced the gospel, prevented the Guaraní from experiencing bad European influences, and developed their creativity. Through these reducciones, Jesuit were able to spread Catholicism throughout all of South America, and are a prime reason why so much of the population is Catholic. Main Page