There is no doubt that the terms of power and violence have been present in the Spanish-American imaginary of the colonial era. The first    image of power is the physical force that drags, tortures, humiliates and demands that the blood of enemies be spilled (Scarry, 1985). Beginning  in the 16th century, the colonial power tried to control the use of private  violence (honor, revenge), institutionalizing the monopoly of violence by  the viceregal authorities. Based on this idea, violence would be the  physical expression of force; power, the socio-political affirmation of domination. Between the two terms - power and violence - there are notions that give us new angles to reflect on the complex interactions that involve economic and social agents, public and private, in diverse situations from a historical perspective.

From a methodological point of view, our objective is to explore the origin of violence, relations and power networks in the Spanish-American world (Peru, Mexico, mainly) from 1492 until the formation of the nation-states of the XIX century. Given the belief that the behavior of these peoples is governed by social division and inequality, we propose a retrospective look at the strategies designed by Spanish colonial officials to establish economic, religious, and fiscal control over their subjects (17th-18th centuries) , as well as the ways in which the independent states managed to establish themselves and legitimize themselves (XIX-XX centuries). Thus, the great variety and plasticity of the forms and strategies to subvert that control will be equally fundamental to our analysis.

The course will emphasize the colonial empires of Spain and Portugal, but will also include materials generated by the colonial experiences of the Netherlands, France and Great Britain. Each seminar will revolve around a theme and will interpret various sources - primary; secondary - from a comparative and multidisciplinary perspective. In particular, we will focus on the indigenous roots and realities of Latin America; in the social, economic and political expansion of the western imperial powers (Spain and Portugal, England, the United States) in the Americas; in the disturbances, readjustments and continuities of the main indigenous civilizations (Aztecs, Mayans and Incas) in the course of three centuries of colonization; and its legacy in the independent period regarding the creation of peculiarly American societies in areas such as Mexico, Peru, Brazil, the Caribbean and Central America, in relation to issues related to indigenous societies, races, imperialism, slavery and the independences.

We will follow a chronological-analytical sequence to develop key aspects of Latin American history. We will also be interested in the transformations and events that led to the breakdown of the colonial bond.