Vagrants and idlers in the regime of sub-delegations in Chile at the end of the 18th century

Abstract

Historiography on the study of vagrancy in the context
of the Spanish Monarchy has focused mainly on judicial sources,
which is why this phenomenon has always been associated
with crime and delinquency. We propose in this article that,
from the intendancy regime, by including vagrancy as a police
matter in its double meaning of economic promotion and
social control, a policy of reduction to towns of vagrant and
wandering population took place so as to inculcate Christianity,
economic and productive life. To analyze this approach, we rely
on the instructions given to sub-delegates and deputy judges of
the Chilean sub-delegations. We propose the hypothesis that
eradication of vagrancy was one of the reasons why Chilean subdelegations were of four causes, unlike the viceroyalty of the Río
de la Plata, where the cabildos maintained the highest authority in
police matters.