The Book and the Conquest: Jesuit Libraries in Colonial Brazil

In colonial Brazil, as in all of Latin America, the Jesuits were noted for their activities in the area of education. An important manifestation of these endeavors was the development of libraries. The first library was begun shortly after the arrival of Manuel da Nobrega in 1549, and library development continued through the expulsion of the order in 1759. Libraries were found wherever the Jesuits set up schools, scattered throughout Brazil. Those libraries became the nucleus for many private and religious collections that ultimately became Brazil's first public libraries.