In the confines of the crown, geographical thinking in the territorial organization of the mayor's office of Salamanca (18th century): from ordinances to reality

Abstract

Province, army and border are the pillars that support this research. They are concepts that are intertwined and, in some spaces, they make up a whole that explains the territorial configuration and organization in its different dimensions. The selected pilot area, the province of Salamanca, is a clear example. The choice of its capital became a matter of state, where political, military and social interests alternated. A topic that has been addressed from the precepts of historical geography, through the use of various sources treated with current geotechnologies. The purpose pursued is to determine the geographical value inserted in the mentality of the time, through the analysis of the different ordinances and decrees developed in the 18th century. The selection of this century is due to the fact that it is a period in which we sought to obtain a global knowledge of the territories. A question that responds to the need to know the boundaries and resources of the territory, to protect the border by the army, to manage the territory as a means for the development of its population, and for the control of a space of high geostrategic value.