MOJO CULTURE IN BOLIVIA

17,000 MOJO ARE IN BOLIVIA AND LIVE THROUGHOUT THE LOWLANDS OF SOUTH CENTRAL BENI, A DEPARTMENT OF BOLIVIA. THEY LIVE IN TOWNS OF TRINIDAD, SAN IGNACIO, SAN LORENZO, SAN LORETA.

IN 1580 THEY WERE CONTACTED BY THE SPANISH WHO WERE AMAZED AT THEIR FIELDS.
THEY FOUGHT THEM AS THEY WANTED TO CONQUER THEM IN 1600'S. THEN THE JESUITS BUILT 15 MISSIONS NEAR THEM. IN 1767 THE JESUITS WERE EXPELLED FROM SOUTH AMERICA. THEN THE MOJO WERE EXPLOITED BY THE GOVERNMENT AND WERE CAPTURED BY SLAVE RAIDERS. THEY WERE FORCED TO WORK IN THE RUBBER PROCESS. THEIR POPULATION FELL DRAMATICALLY.

TODAY SOME MOJO LIVE AS SUBSISENCE FARMING, RAISE MANIOC, BANANAS, AND MAIZE AND SELL A SURPLUS OF CROPS. THEIR CHIEFS WERE ALSO SHAMANS AND HAD MUCH MORE POWER THAN THOSE WHO WERE NOT. HE HAD RESTRICTIONS WHILE HUNTING. OF GREAT IMPORTANCE IN MOJO RELIGION IS THE JAGUAR WHICH THEY HAD AS A CULT WORSHIP. SOME PEOPLE KILLED THEM TO PROTECT THEIR VILLAGES.

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