The wars of independence in the southern Andes

Abstract

This article analyses the composition of regional militias that participated in the frontier war fought in Southern Andes (1810-1825). It focuses on the relations militamen established among themselves in a war context. It could be observed that hierarchical and corporative behavior, aspect found in society, was maintained within the troops. However, the act of living together and the severity of war resulted in a kind of pool of different practices belonging to each social-ethnic group. Among these shared practices we highlight: the way officers accepted the food preparation done by the soldiers' women, "compulsive leaves", and the designation of militia leaders who were not patricians. Moreover each group's killing practices were accpeted and their weapons distinguished them. But shared practices were not constant through space and time since they depended upon original elements militiamen brought with them to the battlefield and on the contex shaping them.