Notions of police and surveillance practices: alcaldes de barrio in the viceroyalty of Nueva Granada, 17 th and 18 th centuries

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze colonial surveillance and its relationship to the development of policing. Towards that end, it reconstructs the conceptual polysemy of the notion of the “police” (policía) in relation to the introduction of alcaldes de barrio, responsible for a neighborhood watch practice in Santafé de Bogotá in 1774. Based on a broad analysis of primary sources, this article discusses the differences between policía as a concept and practice with an incipient institution, the Police. It posits that this approach will clarify the different aspects of surveillance practices in the daily life of Santafé. This study likewise stresses the importance of explaining the historical development of policía in the 17^th, 18^th and start of the 19^th century and describes the emergence of a culture of police surveillance, based on the definition of “enemies” of society, the internalization of norms and the sectorization of urban space, on the one hand, and, on the other, crime investigation methods, capture of suspected criminals and support of the administration of justice. The findings of this investigation throw light on the role of the alcaldes de barrio, within a diachronic comparison, of the colonial heritage and the modern police force as a guarantor of privileges.