THE INTEGRATION OF A BORDER AREA OF THE HISPANIC MONARCHY: BUENOS AIRES, 17TH CENTURY

In the context of the reflection on the reconfiguration experienced by the Hispanic Monarchy, half way through the seventeenth century, this work proposes an approach to the integration of Buenos Aires into the monarchy during the reign of Felipe IV from three different perspectives. In the first place, the question of the articulation of the River Plate area is addressed with the objective of placing the enclave in the process of jurisdictional and political organization of the territory and in its commercial structuring. Secondly, we analyze the political discourse by means of which the town council - controlled by the merchants, also turned into producers-deployed a conceptualization of the enclave, of its relationship with the Crown and the function of the local within a Major political body. Finally, the functional relationship between the Buenos Aires trade - in its different versions although with a significant participation of foreigners, in many cases enemies of the monarchy -, the strengthening of the local elite and the maintenance of the administrative and military system is studied.