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Zapotec Soldiers: Military Conscription and Resistance in 19th Century Oaxaca

Fri, May 29, 10:00 to 11:45am, TBA

Abstract

In 19th century Oaxaca, military conscription served as a policing mechanism within pueblos. Municipal authorities could accuse men of being "vagos" (vagrants) or criminals and force them to serve in the armed forces. This policing mechanism could serve to maintain peace within the communities by removing troublemakers or criminals from the pueblo, but it also served to silence political opposition. Oftentimes, those who were remitted to the armed forces were the political rivals of municipal presidents. During times of war or political crises, the State set quotas for the number of men that municipal authorities were required to remit for service in the armed forces. If the municipal authorities failed to meet these quotas, they ran the risk of being incarcerated. However, there were instances where municipal authorities not only failed to apprehend and send men to the barracks—they actively resisted the State’s mandate by helping the "hijos del pueblo" (men from the community) avoid military service. In this paper, I argue that municipal authorities in the Tlacolula Valley failed to dragoon the "hijos del pueblo" in an effort to maintain their good social standing within the community. In other words, it was more important for municipal authorities to maintain a good relationship with the members of their pueblo than with the leaders of the emerging national State.

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