Cuenca Ecuador: Outsiders look at violence in the 18th Century of this charming city

eltelegrafo.com.ec/(machine translated) Cuenca’s fame would transcend the Old Continent Ángeles Martínez, Open Chair of History. U. Cuenca Is Cuenca historically violent? It is clear that there are regrettable events that have given international fame to the city and that have had significance. It is interesting to reflect on an unflattering external look about our beautiful city, located in the eighteenth century, in the Colony, without losing sight of the superb Eurocentric criterion, in times of enlightened thinking, which made mistakes in its excess of rationality and Looks at what was considered exotic, and even ‘wild’. The documents of travelers and authorities of the time create a profile that indicates the violent and quarrelsome attitude of our people. Let us begin with the description of the society of the time, made by the Corregidor and Major Justice, Don Joaquín de Merisalde and Santisteban, in his report made “by mandate of the EXCMO. Mr. Viceroy of the New Kingdom of Granada “. In 1765 he writes: “They generally boast of brave men, and in order to maintain this credit, they often comment on frequent, treacherous, murder. No one deserves the reputation and epithet of strong, but is due to his fortune some bloody progress, and becomes a vanity of a crime that affects the natural remorse as a barbarian. Be prepared for this of betrayal and tumult, and at the expense of the crowd they want courage to be created what is cowardice. Neither children respect their parents, nor fathers educate their children well. Not well filled with the use of reason, when they already fill the tape with the knife and punish them as guilt shyness and shrinkage. So common is this barbarity, which has already become fashionable for women, and with no other gala they judge to adore their delicate figure better, than with this scandal and scandal of their sex. (…) unhappy young men of a sinister nature, are at the age of fifteen famous gallants and daring swordsmen. ” Cuenca is marked as a kind of Far West Andean, where anything can happen and is celebrated the murder and use of weapons in civil society. It is necessary to recognize, however, that behind the expressions of Merisalde personal resentments are hidden against a society that refused to welcome him, this does not mean that his opinion is subjective, but must be qualified. A few years earlier, in 1735 the Royal Audiencia of Quito received the French Geodesic Mission, its passage through Cuenca would be recorded forever, not only by the reports issued by Jorge Juan and Antonio de Ulloa, not very favorable for the city, but for The lamentable death of the French surgeon Jean Seniergues at the hands of the populace infuriated apparently by its amancebamiento with the cuencana Manuela Quezada and the closeness of its old boyfriend, who had broken the commitment of marriage with the Cusinga to groups of power. Ulloa says in the Secret History of America: “The city of Cuenca is regulated from 25 to 30 thousand souls; Its jurisdiction is made up of 9 main towns (…) the caste of Mestizos abounds in all jurisdiction; They are proud people, very lazy, full of vices and badly inclined. ” Ulloa also speaks of the brutal punishments to which the Indians were subjected. La Condamine, on the other hand, would write in Journal (1751) and its Letter (1739) on the riot of Cuenca. It is understandable his pain and rage on the death of the surgeon Seniergues, 4 days after being attacked by the plebs, 28 of August of 1739, in the middle of a corrida of Bulls in San Sebastián; “Miserable people, the Indians of this region get drunk in an indecent way,” French would curse. La Condamine itself followed the judicial process, which was clearly not carried out in a transparent manner. The fame of Cuenca transcended the Old Continent, that day to the cry of “down the French, to die the bad government and live the king,” the prestigious sages who made up this team, feared for their lives, before a crowd that even put them An ultimatum to leave the city, which was not finally fulfilled. Francisco José de Caldas, notable scientist, close to Mutis, collected the opinions of La Condamine (1849), and also noted: The Morlaco, born in the midst of the darkness of his homeland, believes himself to be the most important being in the universe and looks with contempt at those around him. Proud, they believe that everything exists to serve their whims as vain as fools. The slightest resistance to his desires, the slightest fault ignites the fire of discord. Its value is to ruin anyone who does not bend the knee in his presence, to have great riches, and to play the sword. (…) Within a few years the defiance, murder and blood stains of the unfortunate were the most precious Blazon of his glory. Friends of litigation, they rarely live in peace “(Caldas, 1849, 497, 498). When Bernardo Recio writes his Compendious Relation of Christianity (1947) collects his impressions in the trip he made to Cuenca in 1759 accompanying the Bishop of Quito, Joan Nieto Polo del Águila; As it is natural at that time mentions the death of Seniergues and presents his own judgment on what happened, pointing out “… it was very expensive the party, because they killed one of them … because not only bulls run, they are very brave, but they are out of order when they drink, and they still disguise themselves in masks and Bacchanals … “Recio testifies from another area the abandonment of the ecclesiastical guide and the consequent and deep desire for reform, but it indicates in precise form some of the present problems. Now what about imaginary in them? It is clear that we live a complicated moment in society, and that Cuenca is perhaps the worst fame reached as a chaotic and violent city of the time in the Kingdom of Quito, but we must distinguish a couple of transcendental elements. A violence that is not justified by any part Merisalde responds to power interests like Ulloa.

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In the case of La Condamine, it is clear that he was very ineffective in describing customs that were alien to him – although it can not be denied that the murder of his companion was a brutal act – but when he speaks of the Amazon, for example, no He is afraid to call the Indians of the region stupid by nature. Nor is it true that European society was on another level of evolution. It is interesting to read the history of the eighteenth century, especially conflictive for the life of other cities in the world. On the other hand, when dealing with violence, we find the idea handled by Hannah Arendt: violence is the absence of power, a fallible authority that is well documented in the corruption of the authorities. Tags: Basin violence SHORT LINK Estimated Reading: 11 min Contains: 2270 words Last modified: Friday, 27 June 2014 23:52 The latest from Ángeles Martínez, Open Chair of History. U. Cuenca The great festival of Lira, a brief history of the early 20th century Juan Chacón made the History of Corregimiento in love with the smell of paper The experience of attending a confirmation as a godmother, in the parish of Jadán An approach to the love letters of Manuelita and Bolivar generates doubts The foundation of a dreamed city … We recommend you: Good Friday called for multitudinous processions Cuenca celebrated its holidays with contracts and opening of roads Plaza San Francisco in Cuenca will be remodeled Students are the protagonists in the 460 years of Fundación de Cuenca Two dead bodies were found in Cuenca Cuenca transforms its streets into leisure spaces. Read Article