Between Resistance and Adaptation: Indigenous Peoples and the Colonisation in the Choco, 1510-1753

Description

New title in the acclaimed Liverpool Latin American Studies series Examines the socio-political relationship between the Choco and the Spanish In-depth examination of the Spanish policy of ‘pacification’ Between Resistance and Adaptation offers an analysis of the development of colonial Spanish policy towards the conquest – later ‘pacification’ – of frontier populations and the strategies devised to subdue and control native groups. Particular attention is given to the varied| often subtle and pragmatic ways in which indigenous peoples responded to the efforts of the Spaniards to reorganise native social| political| and economic structures| and to replace native religions and rituals with Christian alternatives. The geographical focus of the book is the Choco| a heavily forested lowland region of the Spanish kingdom of New Granada| in present-day Colombia| which was important for its large gold deposits. The author considers the changing relationships not only between Spaniards and Indians but also between factions of both groups| showing how Spaniards and Indians sometimes allied with each other against other ethnically mixed groups with different agendas.