Reconfiguration of political alliances in critical contexts: the caciques of San Andrés de Machaca (Pacajes, Audiencia de Charcas,XVI-XVII centuries)

Abstract

This article explores the strategies of political reconfiguration developed by the ethnic leaders of San Andrés de Machaca (currently Ingavi province, La Paz department, Bolivia), in three critical contexts: Inca invasion (mid-15th century), the systematization of Hispanic colonial domain (late-16th century) and the subsequent development of this system (first half of the 17th century). Each situation defined new rules, in the face of which ethnic authorities resorted to several practices, such as territorial reorganization, allocation of staple and prestige goods, rituals of negotiation, genealogical memory and the establishment of personal networks