Jean-Philippe Bettendorff was born on 25 August 1625 in Lintgen (Luxembourg). After receiving a classical education in Luxembourg, Trier (Germany), Cuneo (Italy) and Douai (France), he joined the Jesuit Order and was assigned to a mission in Maranhão (Brazil) in 1659. Following his arrival in 1661, he founded the first permanent Jesuit mission on the Amazon, Aldeia dos Tapajós, which is now the major Brazilian city of Santarém. After that, he became embroiled in a conflict between the Jesuits and the colonists, who opposed measures designed to protect the indigenous population. From 1662 to 1693, he served almost continuously as rector of Jesuit colleges and as head of the mission in Maranhão.
