Between site and line: the constitution of colonial borders in Patagonia (1780-1792)

Abstract

This article analyzes some of the actions taken by the Spanish Crown with the purpose to advance in the occupation of Patagonia in the middle of the 19th century and to defend the area from possible British invasion. The author frames her work in the ideas about the medieval frontiers of the Iberian peninsula, arguing that they constitute a more adequate model than the one proposed by Frederick Turner, traditionally used. From there, she elaborates her own interpretation using elements such as cartographic production, Patagonian establishments, the indigenous population of the area, the impact of the colonial expansion on them, and the diverse interests that guided colonizing policies and determined the advance of the colonial frontier on the southern tip of the American continent