COLEGIOS DE MISIONES EN LA FRONTERA SUR DEL IMPERIO ESPAÑOL LOS FRANCISCANOS DE CHILLÁN Y OCOPA HACIA EL PERÍODO TARDO COLONIAL

This article aims to analyze two Franciscan missionary colleges located on the southern frontier of the Spanish Empire, namely those of Ocopa and Chillán, in order to understand and examine the links that were established between them toward the end of the colonial period. For this purpose, documentation preserved in the Archive of the Congregation of Propaganda Fide of Chillán (Miscellaneous Affairs) and in the General Archive of the Indies, Chile section, referring to the relation ships between both institutions, was consulted. The colleges of Chillán and Ocopa maintained a relationship of fraternity, not only as a result of the transfer of the Chiloé missions in 1771, but also because they shared some of the missionaries who arrived in this region following the actions carried out by collectors in Spain. This relationship was expressed both in missionary activities conducted in non-Christian territories and in daily life within the colleges.