“MONSTROUS AND ILLEGAL PROCEEDINGS”: LAW ...

advantage of his situation by enlisting in Tacuarembó’s police forces. After serving there for
some six months, he grew dissatisfied with his commanding officer, whom he described as
an “extremely fat pardo” and left his post. He then traveled to Salto where his brother also
worked as a police officer to attempt to find a similar position there. 19
Pedro’s service in the Uruguayan police forces in Salto and Tacuarembó formed the
first part of his strategy to establish his Uruguayan citizenship in the eyes of authorities there.
Mirroring strategies of other Brazilians slaves entering the armed forces, Pedro immediately
embedded himself in the Estado Oriental through service to the country. Brazilian slaves in
the borderlands used military service to secure their freedom by forging clientelistic alliances
with local elites. Similarly, Pedro’s police service created vertical allegiances between himself
and his commanders that he could then draw upon in order to check attempts to reenslave
him. The image of Pedro actually policing the border is quite striking. Through his service,
he could establish his own citizenship and the connections necessary to support it.
Pedro’s family also played a key role in establishing his Uruguayan citizenship. Pedro
took advantage of familial connections to gain work in the Salto police force. He utilized his
brother’s position to locate new potential elite allies and better economic opportunities in
the process. Pedro also described in his testimony how his family had saved him when the
Azambujas had forcibly abducted him from his home in order to sell him to another master
in Brazil. Pedro’s father had “gone to look for him.” He ultimately prevented Cándido and
Geronimo from selling him, although he failed to obtain his return to the Estado Oriental. 20
Given both Pedro’s father’s willingness and ability to cross the border, and the relative
success of his mission, we can speculate that Pedro’s father must have possessed social and
19 Ibid., 4bis.
20 Ibid., 3bis.
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