Abstract

This article analyses the purposes and functions of the missionary station that existed on Dawson Island, Strait of Magellan, between 1889 and 1911. According to the most widespread interpretation, its mission was to save the native peoples from the violence they faced as consequence of the cattle colonization promoted by the governments of Argentina and Chile. By discussing the literature supporting this interpretation and by analyzing original documentation-especially the testimonial book of one of the directors of San Rafael-this article argues that the idea of salvation has led to a serious misunderstanding: the main intention of the missionaries was not to procure the survival of the indigenous people, but to indoctrinate them so that they could merit the eternal joys that God had reserved for them in Heaven.