War, rescue and captivity: Processes of territoriality and indigenous enslavement in the Portuguese-Spanish frontier 16th, 17th and 18th centuries

Abstract

In this article we propose to address indigenous captivity and rescues as mechanisms of forced incorporation of the native population into colonial society in the Spanish-Lusitanian border territories together with the legal framework that legitimized this practice. We visualize these processes from the logic of the Amerindian, Spanish and Portuguese peoples and we focus on the Jesuit missions of Paraguay and Chiquitanía. Through important documentation for internal use of the Society of Jesus we focus on the patrolling of the Jesuit militias, the episodes of war, the rescues, the captivity and the resistance of the groups that refused to be reduced. With all this we hope to visualize the impact of these practices on the territorial processes of a disputed border.