Martin DobrizhofferMartin Dobrizhoffer was an Austrian Roman Catholic missionary and writer who lived from 7 September 1717 to 17 July 1791. Dobrizhoffer was born in the Bohemian town of Frymburk (Friedberg). He joined the Society of Jesus in 1736 and went to Paraguay n 1749, where he worked devotedly for eighteen years, first among the Guaranis and then among the Abipones. After the expulsion of the Jesuits from South America, he returned to Europe, stayed in Vienna, gained the favor of Maria Theresa, survived the dissolution of his order, and wrote the chronicle of his mission. In 1791, he died in Vienna. "An Account of the Abipones, an Equestrian People of Paraguay," on which his claim to renown is based, was discovered in Vienna in 1784 in the author's own Latin, and in a German translation by Professor Kreil of the University of Pest. Read More Read Less