Portugueses, españoles y mbayá en el alto Paraguay. Dinámicas y estrategias de frontera en los márgenes de los imperios ibéricos (1791-1803)

The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the interactions among Spaniards, Portuguese and Mbayá indigenous peoples in the Upper Paraguay region during the last decade of the 18th century. The Portuguese and Spanish interest in controlling the lands that lay between Villa Real de la Concepción in Paraguay and the Portuguese fort of Nova Coimbra in Mato Grosso resulted in an increasing relevance of the mbayá peoples. These peoples became a key element in the frontier, where they developed their own strategies to promote their own interests and goals. By examining both Spanish and Portuguese sources, our study furthers our understanding of their interactions in a frontier that we characterize as being essentially porous and dynamic, where the circulation of people and goods became a key feature