 At that time these so-called "evangelized" Guaranis—as opposed to the many Guaranis living the traditional way and not in the Jesuit missions—raised what is believed to have been the largest herd of cattle in all of Latin America.Therefore, the Europeans' interests in the area extended beyond land appropriations.Sepé Tiaraju was immortalized in the letters by Brazilian writer Basílio da Gama in the epic poem "O Uraguai" (1769) and in the poem "O Lunar de Sepé", collected by Simões Lopes Neto and published in the beginning of the 20th century.