Pais de los Maynas

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Maynas was one of the missions the jesuits created in South America. The missionaries started their descent from Quito in Ecuador mostly using the Rio Napo as their route. They used the common missionary tools found in other jesuits missions like Paraguay, Chiquitania, Moxos or Orinoco. In difference to other areas the Indians belonged to different tribes and languages. The missions expanded under Samuel Fritz SJ (who traveled all the way to Belem and drew the first map of the amazon) until what is today Manaos. This provoked trouble with Portuguese sklave hunters, which travelled from Belem upstream. It never was stable or properous as the missions in Paraquay but as one result Portuguese influence was stopped and the upper parts of the Amazone baisin are belonging to Spanish-speaking countries. After the expulsion of the jesuits Maynas came under the contro of Franciscans from Oacampa-Peru. This was one of the reasons the border and the belonging of Maynas in the post-colonial time was unclear and provoked several wars between the two countries until 1996 (Cenepa).