Maps, Photographs and Other Visual Devices in the Diplomatic Dispute over the Andes as a Natural Border (1900)

CARLA LOIS

Chicago

Congreso; XXXI International Congress, Latin American Studies Association Conference; 2014

Latin American Studies Association

During negotiations to resolve a boundary dispute between Argentina and Chile, official Argentine bureaus collected materials to build a geographical argument based on the general principle of a natural border (in the sense coined by Friedrich Ratzel), taking the Andes mountains as their preferred reference. Argentinean negotiators used pictures, maps, diagrams, gravures, and panoramic photos to demonstrate their claims of the existence of a ?visible? border, in effect offering a topographical criterion. This paper examines a document (Argentina Evidence, 1900) presented to the British crown that had been chosen to arbitrate the conflict. This 1,091 page, four-volume report reproduced 71 maps, 182 photos, 175 fold-out panoramic photos, 12 engravings and 15 sketches. These images are in dialogue with each other: photos undergo a cartographic treatment (inscriptions, toponyms, etc.) while maps are linked with the photographic record with red arcs showing photographed locations. Focusing on the interplay among image, map, and topography, this essay reveals the relations between geographic arguments and the use of visual devices in processes of territorial vindication.