Chiriguanos: Southern Andes colonizing policy and the construction of a stereotype

Abstract

This paper analyzes how the Chiriguanos were classified in the eastern border of Tarija within the context of a new colonial society. Southern Andes colonial documents present them as a threat, triggering tensions over the borders. Historiography has maintained this image while refraining from investigating into the reality hidden behind that depiction. The Chiriguano category came to condense a large sum of pejorative names thus creating a stereotype to justify policies of defense and conquest on the southeastern border. Deconstructing the Chiriguano category uncovers multiple, complex interethnic relations beyond such stereotype. This study case reveals how the Spaniards used group categorization because it proved functional to their interests,although the chiriguano conflict encompassed a broader temporal andspatial frame.