Caciques y mandones de Malligasta: Autoridad y memoria en un pueblo de indios de la Rioja colonial

this paper examines the process of transformation that took place in malligasta, a small indian village located in jurisdiction of la rioja (gobernación del tucumán), in the colonial period. on the one hand, the paper reconstructs the history of the indian village in connection with the regional history, marked by rebellions, demographic decline and population transfer. on the other hand, it explores the various ways in which the ethnic authorities, the caciques and mandones, clashed with the jesuit order which was trying to take over parts of communal lands. while the jesuits questioned the legitimacy of caciques and mandones as "natural lords", the latter developed their own arguments to defend their interests and those of their community.