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  • La conquista de quince mil leguas: Estudio sobre la traslación de la frontera sur de la República al Río Negro
  • Pilar Herr
La conquista de quince mil leguas: Estudio sobre la traslación de la frontera sur de la República al Río Negro. By Estanislao S. Zeballos . Introduction by Raúl J. Mandrini . Nueva Dimensión Argentina. Buenos Aires: Taurus, 2002. Illustrations. Maps. Tables. Appendixes. 427 pp. Paper.

The author of this study of the Argentine frontier (originally published in 1878 ), Estanislao Zeballos, was an ardent supporter of frontier conquest and settlement. Thus, as historian Raúl J. Mandrini writes in the introduction to this edition, La conquista de quince mil leguas is not so much a history as it is a policy recommendation to illustrate Zeballos's plans for what the newly formed Argentine state needed to do about its frontier region. The organization of the book further solidifies Zeballos's agenda. The 11 chapters are loosely divided into two sections, plus a bibliography. In the first, Zeballos lays down the foundation for what will become the "new" frontier south of the Río Negro. The second section discusses the new frontier, the Indians, and river navigation for military purposes. The final chapter forms the crux of Zeballos's argument, and it is here where he details his own observations and ideas for the conquest and settlement of the frontier. His prescriptions included a larger and better-equipped military and diplomacy to subdue friendly Indian chiefs: "Once the head is conquered, the subjects will mold themselves by degrees, or by force, to civilized life, constituting a base for excellent colonies in those fertile valleys" (p. 336 ). This chapter also discusses previous military campaigns that, although ineffective, provided valuable information for Zeballos's study. In fact, Zeballos utilized a wide variety of documents, including military [End Page 760] diaries, dispatches, traveler's notes, personal letters (including some to him), interviews, and published works.

This is an important book for several reasons. The late nineteenth century was a time of transition for Argentina. After recovering from the War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70), Argentina's leaders set about reorganizing and restructuring in order to become a nation-state. This included the solidification of existing geographical boundaries between competing states. The frontier region was also rich in resources to feed the ever-expanding cattle ranching industry of Buenos Aires. Indian cattle raids and trade with Chileans further fueled Argentina's drive to conquer and settle the region.

Zeballos himself was very much a product of his times. The writing of La conquista de quince mil leguas in the last quarter of the nineteenth century was the direct outcome of Argentina's desire to exert power and control in the southern hemisphere. After several decades of political instability and war, Argentina as a nation was finally ready to exert herself and to claim what was properly hers. The study served as a propaganda tool to further the state's claims to the frontier region, allowing Argentina's leaders to justify their military actions in the area. Furthermore, the Argentine state believed that civilization ruled over barbarism and that the Indian had no place in a civilized state. This idea was by no means new. However, as Mandrini states in the introduction, "the visions, imaginations, and perspectives with which Argentine historiography confronted the subject of its indigenous population and frontiers were conditioned by the very process of constricting the nation-state. Since the nation was imagined as a homogeneous human group, the Indian had no place in it—nor in its history—except, obviously, by ceasing to be Indian" (p. 28 ). State formation, ethnic nationalism, and incorporation into the world economy thus became one and the same for Zeballos. In effect, the conquest and settlement of the frontier became a form of survival for the newly formed Argentine state.

The book has shortcomings, including overly detailed topographical, hydrological, and geographical information (which modern readers will find redundant), as well as a very biased and negative portrait of Argentine Indians. Perhaps the most significant aspect of La conquista de quince mil leguas was its influence on national...

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