Gestiones transatlánticas. Los indios ante la trama del poder virreinal y las composiciones de tierras (1646)

Abstract

The Indians protested the abuses committed against them, by sending memorials of grievances to the King and his Council. Subsequently, they even travelled to present them at the court. The history of the origin, processing and resolution of these interventions is told through the case of the journey undertaken by two Indian chiefs from northern Peru to the royal court, who set out at the same time as did the representatives of another party that was contrary to the Viceroy. Attempts were made to discredit the Indian groups’ measures, alleging that they formed part of a third party’s political manoeuvres, and that the Indians were not capable of elaborating them on their own. Yet, they were capable. This situation was a stage for confrontation in which the Indians were principal actors and not mere bystanders. The struggle for power was not limited to the local terrain, as it included the Council of the Indies and the Monarchy’s policy with respect to its American kingdoms.