Identidades e independencia en Santa Marta y Riohacha, 1750 – 1850

Abstract

An intriguing feature of independence in New Granada noted by various historians is the strong loyalist support manifested by indigenous groups. Accordingly, Steinar A. Saether begins his study of identities and independence in Santa Marta and Riohacha by invoking an 1815 ceremony honoring the cacique of the indigenous town of Mamatoco, who defended the royalist cause during the republican attack of 1813. The imagery of the Spanish general Morillo decorating the “octogenarian Don Antonio Núñez” evokes many of the contradictions and complexities that challenge historians in their quest for theoretical frameworks through which to understand the dynamics of interests, identities, and ideologies inherent to these historical events. Approaching the regional study with an innovative twist, Saether embarks upon a study of three vast topics. These include the composition and structure of colonial society in Santa Marta and Riohacha, the ways in which different social and ethnic groups reacted and participated in the political crisis raging during this period, and, finally, the ways in which independence and the creation of the republic wrought radical social changes in the region. This stimulating work provides a detailed case study of patterns of behavior by various socioeconomic and ethnic groups in a specific region of the Spanish Empire.Saether’s main issue is how and why people in Santa Marta and Riohacha chose to support one side or the other during the independence wars. To explore such questions, he transcends the traditional materialist interpretation of the colonial-independence dichotomy based upon political rupture mitigated by social and economic continuity. Following the poststructuralist lead of François-Xavier Guerra’s analysis of independence as a transitory moment that led to modernity, Saether seeks to tease out the shifts in possibilities envisioned in the new identities created through the crucible of independence. Without rejecting the notion that social and economic structures remained essentially unchanged, the author posits that historians might chart some differences in how society was conceptualized in the postindependence period. Using a comparative approach based on analysis of marriage patterns, Saether tests his hypothesis of discontinuity and reestablishes the importance of independence as a critical historical moment that merits further examination.The author demonstrates an impressive command of archival documentation from Europe, South America, and North America. He seamlessly weaves an interpretive narrative drawn from a variety of sources uncovered in Spanish archives, as well as the Archivo General in Bogotá and regional archives in Santa Marta. These include military, civil, secular, and ecclesiastical records that are bolstered by secondary literature to fill out the theoretical and comparative nature of the author’s approach. One of the valuable contributions of this work is that it provides an intersection for a variety of themes that have not traditionally been treated together. For example, Saether delves into a literature of the family that provides analytical and comparative rigor to his examination of marriage patterns among various social groups in these provinces. He melds census and demographic information with ecclesiastical records to test racial categories and social patterns, an approach that enables him to demonstrate that marriage patterns changed discernibly after independence. While his samples are admittedly limited by the paucity of records, the author suggests that republican Santa Marta and Riohacha can best be divided between two classes: the elite and the mass of commoners. Beyond this, a comparison of his region to the case of Cartagena allows him to comment upon the nature of race relations and ethnicity as analytical categories for understanding participation in independence. He challenges interpretations that suggest the lower classes mirrored the patterns of their patrons among elite groups. He also questions interpretations that posit a radical ideology among the Afro-Colombian lower classes of Cartagena and a more traditional worldview espoused by indigenous populations along the eastern part of the Caribbean coast.The author suggests that indigenous loyalists sided with the crown specifically because they feared the unfettered power of creole elite groups and used the monarchy to defend themselves against the worst political and economic pretensions of local elite. Thus Saether suggests that indigenous pragmatism had less to do with ideology and inherent traditionalism than with the dynamics of local conflicts. Another of his conclusions is that as the new political system abolished the casta system, a homogenizing effect was felt in the social system, which would subsequently be divided between the elite and an undifferentiated mass of commoners.This is a valuable contribution to the historiography of Colombia and to literature on Spanish American independence. The author addresses his broad questions through meticulous documentary research, and he expresses his arguments cogently and clearly. Saether’s work is a welcome addition to the growing body of literature focused upon New Granada and will stimulate continuing debate and research.

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