In colonial and early republican Chile capitán de amigos (lit. captain of friends) were Spanish and Mestizo officials who surveilled friendly indigenous tribes (Spanish: indios amigos). Capitanes de amigos were oversighted by higher-ranking officials known as comisario de naciones.^[1] It was not uncommon for a capitán de amigos to live among the indegnous peoples he was in charge of, sometimes marrying indigenous women and even adopting prohibited customs such as Mapuche polygamy.^[1] Knowing both Spanish and indigenous cultures some capitanes de amigos took advantage of this to profit in frontier trade.^[1] In times of indigenous revolts information provided by capitanes de amigos was crucial for Spanish and Chilean authorities.^[1]

References