The Motilon border: interethnic relationships and conflicts in the current Catatumbo region (Colombia) during the second half of the eighteenth century

Abstract

During the second half of the eighteenth century the bourbon regime was looking to advance further
on territories beyond their control. The Catatumbo area (Colombia), where the so-called motilons indians lived,
was one of those borders that separated the territories controlled by colonization and those that were not. Based
on this statement, the central question aims to recognize some elements that allow to see this region as a frontier
space, where constant conflicts and negotiations shaped interethnic relations, in which its inhabitants were
relevant political actors in the definition of power relations that did not allow the consolidation of a hegemonic
position, despite the intention of the Spanish monarchy. It will be examined some sources of information related
to trade development and contrasted to some others about religious missions. Also, it is my purpose to analyze
information related to the variety of control devices that competed as part of the...