An approach to the written documentary sources of the northern border of Santa Fe (1855-1865): questions and methodological contributions

Abstract

This paper addresses the written documentary sources produced by soldiers and explorers who traveled across the northern border of the province of Santa Fe between 1855 and 1865. The aim is to identify and analyze the way in which the data on the Mocoví, Abipones and Tobas was constructed. During this period, the provincial and national governments planned and executed advance policies on the southern territory of the Chaco region. The exploration of the waterways of communication was accompanied by the reorganization of the military enclaves and the foundation of new missions. These initiatives produced new documentation on the movements, locations and names of different indigenous groups that inhabited a wide territory that extended from the western bank of the Paraná River, west through the province of Santa Fe,northeast of Córdoba and Southeast of Santiago del Estero.