The police action in a peripheral territory. Justice in the parish of Manizales 1855-1865

Abstract

This paper aims to approach the administration and functioning of justice of first instance in the Parish district of Manizales between 1855 and 1865. Through the analysis of the judicial processes for sluggishness, games and forbidden dances, we want to show the capacity scope of the Neogranadinian State to establish an order in a peripheral society, and the roles that prosecuted social actors played in the social and legal fabric of that time. Our hypothesis is that prosecuted individuals were not mere spectators but that they participated, altered and used the processes of normalization of their practices to negotiate punishments, accuse their enemies, defend themselves from justice and flee when there was nothing else to do.