| Summary: | From 1882 to 1911, more than twenty expeditions travelled the Pilcomayo River region, which spanned the states of Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. The Gran Chaco is a vast area in which the indigenous peoples remained relatively autonomous. Travel writings were published by the military, representatives of the local authorities, explorers or scientists who led these expeditions. Reading them allows us to study the construction of indigenous otherness in relation to this space and the populations that populate it. These are nourished by the collective representations forged in distant circles of power, but the narratives give an account of their displacement. The interactions they transcribe lead to an improved understanding of the behavior of the populations encountered. An act such as a murder, which testifies to the failure of the encounter, can then be understood by highlighting the logics that favored its irruption. In this space with fluid borders, reciprocal influences are exerted: under a general background of attraction to the colonizing society, some individuals will, conversely, flee its discipline to find refuge in the 'desert'. But despite the intensity of the exchanges and the shared emotions, a defense of otherness persists.
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