author
Martin Dobrizhoffer
1717–1791
A Jesuit missionary in South America for nearly two decades, he is remembered today for a vivid account of the Abipones and life on the Paraguayan frontier. His writing blends firsthand observation, travel narrative, and early ethnography.
2 Audiobooks
An Account of the Abipones, an Equestrian People of Paraguay, (1 of 3)
by Martin Dobrizhoffer
An Account of the Abipones, an Equestrian People of Paraguay, (2 of 3)
by Martin Dobrizhoffer
About the author
Born in 1717, Martin Dobrizhoffer entered the Society of Jesus in 1736 and later traveled to Paraguay, where he worked for many years among Indigenous communities, first the Guaraní and then the Abipones. After the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spanish South America in 1767, he returned to Europe and settled in Vienna.
His lasting reputation comes from Historia de Abiponibus, a detailed work based on his years in the region. Published in the 1780s, it offered European readers a rich description of the Abipones, the landscape, and everyday life in colonial Paraguay.
Dobrizhoffer died in 1791. Although his perspective was shaped by his role as a missionary, his books remain valuable for readers interested in South American history, missionary encounters, and early ethnographic writing.