Behind the palisades: Sociopolitical recomposition of native societies in the unare depression, the eastern Venezuelan llanos (sixteenth to eighteenth centuries)

This article concerns the sociopolitical recompositions of Carib native soc ieties, especially the Palenque, who inhabited the Unare Depression in the eastern Venezuela Ilanos during colonial times. Through a comparative explo ration of the different scenarios presented by the early (sixteenth-century ) and late (eighteenth-century) chronicles, the article develops a critical analysis of the current anthropological knowledge of the area, especially in relation to the process of "retribalization" of Carib groups. The essay offers an alternative approach that focuses on this sociopolitical reconfig uration and migration as a strategic alternative of negotiation developed b y native societies as social actors in the colonial political contexts.