RESPONSIVE INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

The Missions Initiative will welcome input from the multitude of disciplines and organizations committed to the preservation and interpretation of Spanish Colonial Mission resources. For the foreseeable future, the Missions Initiative might best be governed a coordinating council. As an independent entity, the council would represent the collective interests of Mexican and U.S. federal and state resource management agencies, local communities, the Roman Catholic Church, research institutions, and non-profit organizations. This coordinating body would disseminate project information, coordinate logistics, and support the development of working relationships among all stakeholders interested in preserving and sharing the resources of Spanish Colonial Missions.

Jesuit Missions in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay (MERCOSUR)
As part of a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) program termed Mercado Comun del Sur (MERCOSUR), Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay are cooperating to manage and promote their common histories and cultures. Although primarily economic in focus, a portion of this initiative focuses on Spanish Colonial Missions founded by the Jesuit Order in these three countries, and how this important cultural heritage can best be managed and preserved. The Missions of Cordoba (Argentina), Guaranis (Argentina and Brazil), and La Santisima Trinidad de Parana and Jesus de Tavarangue (Paraguay) are part of this collaborative process, and it is hoped that this program and others can eventually become part of a broader coalition of Spanish Colonial Mission research, including the Missions Initiative.