Despite being considered as free individuals in the Spanish empire, the natives had a specific statute which put them in a subordinate position in the hierarchy of the colonial society. They were legally connected to their communities, created or reformulated in the process of building the State in America. Such communities were forced to provide services to the King, which meant a series of obligations on its inhabitants. The connection to the communities and the obligations resulting from it, at times, represented an obstacle for the conduct of their personal projects and ambitions. By analyzing the missions of Paraguay and the interactions of its inhabitants with the colonial society in the South border of America, I intend to analyze how the natives perceived their different statute - being free, however, with several restrictions - and to demonstrate which strategies they used to achieve their own goals.
natives; missions of Paraguay; freedom