'In continuous dealings with infidels'. The renegades of the central-eastern Pampas region during late 18th century

Abstract

The subject matter is de renagadoes, a small group of criollos, mestizos, black men, and mulattoes voluntarily settled among indigenous groups of the central-west region of the Pampas. Received with flexibility by the latter, who incorporated them into their lives and projects, the renegadoes were seen as absolute traitors by the colonial administration since, after abandoning the Christian god and king, they dedicated themselves to helping the unfaithful becoming irredeemable and dangerous beings. A series of diacritics, that revealed their unique transcultural condition, contributed to increase the risk exposure implied by their activities as spies and scouts (baqueanos), facilitating their identification and punishment and also granting a documentary visibility that allow us to think about the cultural miscegenation contex in which their presence became significant.