Navigating Uncertainty from the Spanish Empire's Southern Frontier: Epistolary Communication, Agents, and Media in Chile, 1598–1670

Abstract This study proposes the concept of epistolary uncertainty to understand the emotional and logistical challenges of transoceanic communication between colonial Chile and the Spanish court during the seventeenth century. Epistolary uncertainty captures the pervasive doubts of letter writers about whether their messages would reach the king or receive timely responses, concerns that reflected the fragility of long-distance correspondence in a world without formal postal systems. Communication agents known as procuradores mitigated this uncertainty by navigating the arduous journey to Madrid and employing innovative intermedial strategies, including oral advocacy and printed materials. Their efforts, which ensured the delivery and amplification of colonial concerns, reveal a dynamic communication network shaped by individual actors and intermedial practices. By focusing on epistolary uncertainty, this study reframes Chile's perceived isolation and emphasizes the adaptability of colonial societies, offering in the process broader insights into governance and information flows in distant territories during the early modern period.