Counting heads: Indigenous leaders in the guarani-jesuit missions

Using eighteenth-century census data to examine indigenous leadership in the Guarani missions, this chapter shows that cacique succession transitioned from a flexible interpretation of hereditary lineage according to Guarani practices to rigid primogenitor (father to eldest son) lineage according to Spanish ideals. Adherence to primogenitor succession did not consider a candidate's leadership qualities, and thus, caciques served primarily as placeholders for organizing the mission population into cacicazgos for easier governance. Concurrently, an assortment of new positions provided leadership roles for non-caciques who possessed leadership qualities, but not the proper bloodline, and such positions also opened new opportunities for more capable caciques. By considering leadership qualities and not just descent, these positions provided flexibility and reflected continuity with pre-contact Guarani ideas about leadership.