Paz racionada con los indios amigos en el espacio fronterizo del Arroyo Azul (1832 -1875)

Abstract

The maintenance in peace of the tribes settled in the border area of Arroyo Azul between 1832 and 1875 was possible by the periodic delivery for maintenance by the governments, first and national provincial afterwards, of live cattle, various foodstuffs, gifts and gratuities . That system was known during the government of Juan Manuel de Rosas first, and in the State of Buenos Aires later, as "peaceful business". To the town and fortress of Azul, apparent by its geographical location -in the heart of the province of Buenos Aires- and proximity to the indigenous territory, arrived the embassies of both Salinas Grandes and those coming from Chile to deal with Captain Pedro Rosas and Belgrano , in charge of said business that exercised the functions of Justice of the Peace, Commissioner and accidental Commander of the point, almost uninterruptedly from 1840 to 1852 and even later. There all the communications of Indians were directed, the parliaments with the caciques of inland took place and the rations were given to them. Nearby were the friendly tribes of Catriel and Cachul. After Caseros, as the headquarters of the general command of the southern border, was the ordinary residence of his boss, and the cantonment of a major military garrison. Knot of communications, final point in the system of the race of posts and couriers and of start of the rakes, was forced scale in the trips to the south. When the province rejoined the federal State after Pavón, and the rationing of indigenous people became the competence of the national authorities in the official language, the expression "peaceful business" was replaced by "peaceful relations". The present work describes the common and differential characteristics that the practice of said rationed peace had in the successive historical cycles and intends to shed light on its details, because in spite of how much has been researched and written on the subject in recent years, There is still an unfinished image of the matter.