The The Eastern Band of the Río de la Plata. Border, territory and landscape in view of the New Populations of the 18th century
Authors
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Francisco Ollero Lobato
Universidad Pablo de Olavide
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2548-709X
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Soledad Cebey
Universidad de la Rep´ública
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0938-2867
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Tatiana Rimbaud
Universidad de la República
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7386-7236
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William Rey Ashfield
Universidad de la República
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3281-0273
Abstract
In this article we analyze the geographic and demographic context of the Banda Oriental, the name of present-day Uruguay, during the second half of the 18th century. The sources used for this purpose are travelers' accounts, bibliography and historical cartography. We observe the moment prior to the creation of the New Towns that helped to articulate the territory and to fix population centers near the main city of the region, Montevideo. For this purpose, we study the settlement in that region, a place of frontiers and multiculturalism in an almost desert-like space, characterized by the presence of cattle and the dominance of ranchers. We study the cartographic development of the territory, its main communication routes and the settlements of a dispersed population. Finally, we value the role of the new settlements as milestones of stability and security of a land on the frontier of the Indians and the Portuguese crown, which confirms the power of the hispanic crown, configures the planning of the territory and gives identity to a sector of the Viceroyalty of La Plata that is moving towards a rapid transformation.
