Riquelme versus pormollanca – Travestismo hispano-indígena en la frontera chilena del siglo XVIII

This article aims to make a contribution to the conceptualization of a relevant phenomenon within the issue of border relations in colonial America (18th century): the fluidity involving ethnic identity exhibited by the Mapuche frontier actors in their relations with the criollo population of the old kingdom of Chile. As part of their strategies of social and economic positioning, individuals wandering from the spaces exempt from Spanish imperial power (“tierra adentro”) make use of complex mechanisms of cultural transvestism in order to secure their position in the colonial context. These identity transgressions are favored by the complex inter-cultural relations brought about by colonial contacts. At the end, the interests at stake affect the different actors, favoring tensions or adhesions, and at the same time generate a sense of border ambiguity in relation to what is traditionally understood as ethnic identity