Becoming Chiquitano: Crafting Identities in the Broader Paraguayan River Basin Justin B. Blanton A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History. Chapel Hill 2018 Approved by: Cynthia Radding John Chasteen Kathryn Burns Kathleen DuVal Brandon Bayne 1 Abstract __________________________________________________________________ Justin B. Blanton: Becoming Chiquitano: Crafting Identities in the Broader Paraguayan River Basin (Under the direction of Cynthia Radding) This project poses two basic conceptual problems: How do ethnic and communal identities emerge and how are their meanings expressed by diverse groups of historical actors? To address these problems, my research focuses on indigenous communities who inhabited Catholic missions in the colonial Spanish province of Chiquitos located in portions of present- day southeastern Bolivia and southwestern Brazil. It provides a deeper understanding of the ways in which these native peoples bestowed meaning upon the public dimensions of their reconstituted communities and transformed, articulated, maintained, and defended ethnic, linguistic and communal identities. My full temporal scope extends from the late sixteenth century through the Jesuit mission regime (1691-1767) and into the early nineteenth century, but I place special emphasis on post-Jesuit historical processes. By focusing on these understudied years, I reveal how native resistance to late eighteenth and early nineteenth century imperial developments impacted the evolution of identities that began to emerge a century earlier. During this period of mission secularization, indigenous peoples continually mediated administrative and sociocultural changes to construct and articulate ethnolinguistic and communal identities. My interdisciplinary research provides an innovative model for the examination of indigenous and imperial borderlands centered on the themes of ethnicity, community, colonial conflict, and intercultural exchange. 2 To Allison and my family. And to the memories of Daniel Jackson Stanley and Ina and C.A. Blanton. 3 Acknowledgments __________________________________________________________________ This project would not have been possible without the support of many generous people and institutions. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has provided me with the majority of the financial resources necessary for my research. A Tinker Pre-Dissertation Field Research Grant from the Institute for the Study of the Americas made it possible for me to begin field research in Bolivia. Thanks to the history department’s Mowry and Clein Dissertation Fellowship, a Graduate Research Award from the Program for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, and an Off-Campus Dissertation Research Fellowship provided by the Graduate School, I was able to continue research in Bolivia. A combination of funds from the Graduate School’s Summer Research Fellowship and a Mellon Dissertation Fellowship for Latin American Research from the Institute for the Study of the Americas supported a final research trip to Buenos Aires. I benefited from the generous assistance of several scholars and archivists during my research trips to Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil. In Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Paula Peña Hasbún, the director of the Museo y Archivo Histórico Regional de la Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno provided me invaluable recommendations during the earliest stages of my research. Isabelle Combès, an anthropologist associated with the Institut Français d'Etudes Andines, freely shared with me her extensive knowledge of the history and ethnology of the Bolivian lowlands and graciously mentored me during my time in Bolivia. Enrrique Rivero Coimbra, director of the Archivo Histórico Departamental Hermanos Vázquez Machicado, a collection within the Museo Histórico Regional de la Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno introduced me to his colleagues and the scholarly community of eastern Bolivia. Anita 4 Suarez de Terceros, opened to me the archives of the Catedral de Santa Cruz de la Sierra. My dear friends Junior Pantoja Abrego and Vanessa Salvatierra made me feel at home in Santa Cruz and enriched my life in countless ways. In Sucre, I am indebted to the professional staff of the Archivo y Biblioteca Nacionales de Bolivia. I would also like to thank William Lofstrom, PhD, and Ana María Zamora Lofstrom for welcoming me into their home and supporting me with warm companionship and Julia Flores Colque for looking out for me as her surrogate son. The late Stephen Jacobs, Professor Emeritus, School of Architecture, Tulane University opened so many social and professional doors to me in Sucre and I miss him dearly. In Cuiabá, I am thankful for the assistance of Fernando Tadeu de Miranda Borges and the staff of the Arquivo Público de Mato Grosso. In Buenos Aires, I am grateful for the friendship and professional support of Cecilia Martinez and Guillermo Wilde. The directors and staff of the Archivo General de la Nación in Buenos Aires made my research productive. My fascination with Latin America began during a study abroad trip to Honduras led by Stewart McCrae who inspired me to begin the path that ultimately led to this dissertation. Visiting Mayan ruins and Spanish colonial towns left an indelible mark on my future and significantly broadened my perception of the world. Upon returning from Honduras, I declared anthropology as my major and set out to learn Spanish. After completing intensive courses, I obtained a proficiency in Spanish that has served to invigorate my love of Latin American culture. Unfortunately, Stewart passed away while I was conducting research in Bolivia and very few days go by without me thinking about his profound influence on my life. As an undergraduate at the University of Florida, I gained knowledge of cultural anthropology, archaeology, and ethnohistory. I developed a strong interest in archaeology while taking a course on the archaic period of North America. This interest led me to apply for a 5 position in an archaeological field school in Granard, Ireland in the summer of 2002. Under the tutelage of Florin Curta, I spent six weeks learning archaeological theory and methodology while excavating a late-medieval village site. I began my graduate studies at the University of North Florida by enrolling in a Florida history course taught by Daniel Schafer. His mentorship fostered my interest in Spanish colonial history and Latin American. In the fall of 2007, I began a yearlong study of early-modern Spanish paleography under the guidance of J. Michael Francis. With his encouragement and support, I obtained the necessary grants and funding to put my paleography skills into practice conducting archival research at the AGI. During the summer of 2008, I spent three months in Seville researching the expedition of Hernando de Soto. I examined a number of documents written by men who participated in the expedition in order to obtain a better understanding of Soto’s treatment of the Indian populations he encountered. This introduction to archival research improved my ability to read and interpret challenging early- modern Spanish paleography. Up until this point, all of the primary source documents I used had been either transcriptions or translations. This was the first time that I had the ability to utilize my skills to interpret the intent of the original author. This experience transformed my interest in Latin American history into a passion and affirmed my determination to obtain a doctoral degree. My graduate education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, especially in the fields of ethnohistory and Iberian borderlands, prepared me to complete this project. I worked systematically to master the published anthropological and historical literature of Chiquitos while placing an emphasis on the scholarship produced in Latin America. Moreover, I have taken graduate seminars and taught undergrad courses related to Latin American history, anthropology, native peoples and space. Throughout my graduate career at UNC, my committee offered guidance and wisdom. My advisor Cynthia Radding bolstered my confidence with her 6 unwavering guidance, encouragement and belief in me, carefully read and evaluated every word of my dissertation at every stage, and I owe her a lifetime of gratitude. John Chasteen taught me to be a better writer, helped me to find and convey my voice, and supported me as both a friend and mentor. Kathryn Burns, Kathleen DuVal, and Brandon Bayne provided critical feedback and insightful comments that helped me to strengthen and clarify my assertions. I am also thankful for the generous advice and support of Arturo Escobar and Miguel La Serna. All errors, shortcomings, and facile assessments in my dissertation are mine alone. I had the great privilege of building relationships with and learning from a talented cohort of graduate students at UNC and Duke University including Jeffery Erbig, Jason Kauffman, Angélica Castillo, Benjamin Reed, Julián Díez, Francisco Brignole, Laurent Corbeil, Yuridia Ramírez, Corinna Zeltsman, Ezekiel Moreno, Samuel Finesurrey, Bonnie Lucero, Elizabeth Ellis, Sarah McNamara, Daniel Giblin , Aaron Hale-Dorrell, Anndal Narayanan, Steven Riegg, Thomas Sheppard, Maikel Farinas Borrego, Joel Hebert, Jeanine Navarrete, Alexandra Ruble, Jeffrey Harris, Mark Hornburg, Shannon James, Daniele Lauro, Jose Manuel Moreno