Cartography of the “Barbarian” Frontier: the Representations of Darien Region in Relation to the Conflict Between the Viceroyalty of New Granada and Cunas

Abstract

This paper analyzes the Darien cartographic representations produced by military engineers sent to the region between 1760 and 1788. Its purpose is to clarify its relevance to understand the conflict between Cuna culture and the Viceroyalty of New Granada during the second half of the eighteenth century. The Darien region was vital for administrative control in Spanish America for its strategic location and its resources; however the indigenous predominance and the English merchant interference complicated its accession. The information registered in maps and descriptive reports done by geographical expeditions, located nowadays in the Archivo General Militar de Madrid, allows us to appreciate the Cuna’s responses; in addition, they offer ethnohistoric information from enlightened officials view. This article contributes to analyze the late colonial cartography and remark its value to understand the settlement attempts during the second half of the eighteenth century in New Granada.