Jesuit Missionary in Eighteenth-Century Sonora: The Family Correspondence of Philipp Segesser ed. by Raymond H. Thompson (review)

With the 300th anniversary of the permanent founding of Spanish missions in Texas coming up, it is a good time to ponder their history in the borderlands. While there is abundant primary material between state and church officials, less is available from personal correspondence of missionaries. Jesuit missionary Philipp Segesser’s letters to his family in Switzerland nicely fits this bill.

Swiss-born Segesser first became a priest and then a Jesuit missionary in New Spain, arriving in the Pimería Alta in 1731. In part, his fascination with the life and work of Saint Francis Xavier led him to choose a religious vocation. He worked tirelessly to care for Pima Indians, whom he sought to convert and train in everyday activities, such as learning prayers and songs, cooking, building structures, farming, and herding livestock. The latter did not always accept the missionary’s direction or teachings. In fact, at times, Indians fled the missions. Pimas also attacked and killed some of Segesser’s cohorts, and he himself was often terrified of what the Pima, Seri, and Apache Indians could do to harm him. He died in 1762.

The letters are invaluable because they give clear insights as to the missionary’s zeal and the daily challenges of living in the midst of Indian communities. Translated from German and Latin, seventy-six letters were preserved and are located at the State Archives of Lucerne in Switzerland. Most are originals, though a few were copies kept by the family. The editors provide a succinct biography of the missionary and a brief discussion of the translation process. The remaining material presents the career of Segesser in a chronological sequence with divisions based on his principal activities, from his study for the priesthood in Bavaria to his early assignments and decision to become a missionary in America. There are a few letters about his departure and arrival in Havana. The bulk of the letters report his experiences in New Spain, and they cover a variety of topics on the nature of the inhabitants, geography, and climate of the lands, missionary’s work routine, and his views of the major Indian groups. While a perceptive observer, Segesser was not free of ethnocentric beliefs. Still, his letters offer a window to interesting and relevant aspects of missionary endeavors and his relationship to the people with whom he interacted.

Since we have many colonial descriptions of the land and American Indians, few of Segesser’s observations are unique; nonetheless, some letters merit a close reading. For example, letter 58 (July 31, 1737), to his uncle and brother, summarizes Indian customs, geography, animal and plant life, crops and herds, Indian sorcery, silver mines, Indian unrest, and descriptions of the major Indian groups of the region.

The book is not without its faults. The editors were redundant in footnoting the same source in subsequent letters, while the notes to each section are often useful but usually too brief. More importantly, though, the editors succeed in helping us to understand the Jesuit world in Sonora and the personality of Father Segesser. This book is a gain for borderlands historiography.