Sketching boundaries: the creation of the notion of frontier in colonial Paraguay by local agents (1640-1680)

• Grant number: 18/02354-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: May 15, 2018
• End date: January 14, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - History of America
• Principal Investigator: Ana Paula Torres Megiani
• Grantee: Fernando Victor Aguiar Ribeiro
• Supervisor: Jose Manuel Santos Perez
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidad de Salamanca (USAL), Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 17/03606-8 - Fluid borders: São Paulo and Asunción after the union of Iberian crowns in the perspective of a connected history (1640-1680), BP.PD

Abstract

The objective of this research stage is to understand the construction of the notions of frontier and spatialities in Paraguay between 1640 and 1680. This period was characterized by the restructuring of the region, either because of attacks from São Paulo bandeirantes to the encomiendas of Guairá in 1628 and end of the Union of Iberian Crowns in 1640. Until 1680, the year of the creation of Colonia del Sacramento by the Portuguese and the beginning of the struggle for control of the Río de la Plata, there are few studies on the configuration of the border of the region. To answer this question, we will privilege the local agents in the colony as fundamental characters in the construction of the notion of territory and frontier in America. In order to verify the dynamics, it is necessary to consult, with the Archivo General de Indias in Seville, Spain, the documentation regarding the letters sent by the governors of Paraguay to the authorities of the power stations of the Empire.