Santos, João dos
SANTOS, JOÃO DOS
Dominican missionary; b. Evora, Portugal, date unknown; d. Goa, India, 1622. He joined the Dominicans and left Lisbon for India in 1586 in response to Bp. Ribeiro Gayo's request for missionaries to Malacca. On his way, Santos stopped at Mozambique and was assigned to Sofala (1586–90). Subsequent assignments in other parts of Mozambique detained him from going to the Far East. Finally, in 1597, he arrived in India where he worked, except for study in Portugal (1606–17) until his death. He labored chiefly in Goa and Cochin. His principal book, Ethiopia Oriental, is a major account of the Portuguese expansion in Africa during the 16th century. It contains a perceptive account of native customs, the fauna, the Portuguese conquest, and Dominican missionary activity in East Africa.
Bibliography: g. m. theal, History and Ethnography of Africa South of the Zambesi from the Settlement of the Portuguese at Sofala, 3 v. (3d rev. ed. London 1916–22) v.1. Enciclopedia de la Religión Católica, ed. r. d. ferreres et al., 7 v. (Barcelona 1950–56), 6:1077.
[b. m. biermann]