Families in War and Peace: Chile from Colony to Nation

305 Pages·2015·1.72 MB·English

by  Sarah C. Chambers

Families in War and Peace
This page intentionally left blank
Families in
War and Peace
chile from colony to nation
sarah c. chambers
Duke University Press Durham and London 2015
© 2015 Duke University Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States
of America on acid- free paper ∞
Typeset in Quadraat
by Westchester Publishing Services
Library of Congress Cataloging-
in- Publication Data
Chambers, Sarah C., 1963–
Families in war and peace : Chile from colony
to nation / Sarah C. Chambers.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-8223-5898-5 (hardcover :
alk. paper)
isbn 978-0-8223-5883-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)
isbn 978-0-8223-7556-2 (e- book)
1. Families— Chile— History—18th century.
2. Chile— History—18th century. 3. Chile—
Social conditions—18th century.
4. Families— Political aspects— Chile—18th
century. I. Title.
hq595.c436 2015
306.850983— dc23
2014043466
Cover credit: (top row, left to right) José Grego-
rio Argomedo; Bernardo O’Higgins; (second
row) Agustín de Eyzaguirre; Javiera Carrera;
José Miguel Carrera; (third row) Ana María
Cotapos; Juan Egaña; Juan José Carrera;
(bottom row) Luis Carrera; Mercedes Fontecilla.
Permissions/Subventions:
For my family
across three generations
This page intentionally left blank
contents
Ac know ledg ments ix
Introduction 1
Part i Families at War
1. Kin Mobilized for War: The Carrera Family Drama,
1810–1824 25
2. Reconquest and War to the Death: Patriot and Royalist
Families Face Sanctions and Separation 62
3. Émigrés, Refugees, and Property Seizures: Chilean
Officials in the Role of Family Providers 91
Part ii Reconciling the National Family
4. Constituting the Greater Chilean Family: Nation- State
Formation and the Restitution of Property 125
5. Protecting Soldiers’ Patrimony: Expanding Pension
Eligibility for Widows and Orphans 155
6. Enforcing Paternal Responsibilities: Legal Disputes over
Family Maintenance and Custody 182
Conclusion 213
Appendix: Chronology of Events in Chile 225
Notes 229
Bibliography 267
Index 277
This page intentionally left blank
ac knoWl edg ments
In letters penned during the wars of in de pen dence, Chileans asked the
recipients to share their news and greetings with many others identified
by name. I similarly offer this book to a broad network of family, friends,
and colleagues. Although it is the product of many solitary hours of re-
search and writing, it would never have seen the light of day without the
support and advice of many. In Chile, I was welcomed by scholars with
whom I shared coffee, meals, and, most important, engaging conversa-
tions on history. I wish to thank (in no par tic u lar order) Eduardo Cavieres,
Ana María Stuven, Julio Retamal, Sol Serrano, Margarita Iglesias, Rafael
Sagredo, Claudia Arraya, and Celia Cussen, as well as Peruvian scholar Car-
men McEvoy, who was researching in Chile at the same time. All the staff
at the National Archive were helpful and consummate professionals. I had
the opportunity to teach a summer seminar on the Atlantic Revolutions for
the graduate program in gender studies at the University of Chile, and I val-
ued the discussions with those students. Three of them went on to work
on the project as assistants— Carolina González, José Tomás Cornejo, and
María Eugenia Albornoz— and their contributions were invaluable. Tania
Mella Lizana also assisted during a second phase of research. Back in the
United States, I thank graduate assistants Karen Carmody- McIntosh and
Marianne Samayoa who helped to review congressional minutes and tran-
scribe letters.
I would not have been able to travel to Chile and had time off for research
and writing without the generous support of a Fulbright fellowship from the
Department of Education and the Fulbright Commission in Chile, funding
from the Grant-i n- Aid and Imagine Fund programs at the University of Min-
nesota, as well as funding for a sabbatical and single semester leave.