Distinguished by a unique fusion of European and Amerindian cultural influences, the missions were founded as reductions or reducciones de indios by Jesuits in the 17th and 18th centuries to convert local tribes to Christianity.
Jesuit priests arriving from Santa Cruz de la Sierra began evangelizing native peoples of the region in the 1670s.
[2] Meireles (1989) lists the following Jesuit missions of Moxos along with their respective ethnic groups (tribes).
[4]: 39 The following indigenous languages, which make up much of the Mamoré-Guaporé linguistic area, were historically spoken in the missions.
[3][5]: 11 Moxo was the primary lingua franca (Spanish: lengua general) used in the missions.