Aspirants to the Franciscan habit in Cordoba, Argentina, 1650-1830

Abstract

Little is still known about the origins and social background of the regular clergy.  The analysis of the personal and family background of the aspirants to the Franciscan habit will provide clues to understand how the Franciscans were inserted in each of the colonial societies of Spanish America. In this paper, based on the "Informaciones de "genere, vita et moribus de aspirantes" from the Archive of the Convent of San Jorge de Córdoba, Argentina, we will analyse the profile of the individuals who entered the Franciscan order in the colonial period in one of the largest convents for the formation of personnel in the south of the American continent.