Bernardo Perdiz: “The Comissary Of Manu”, a Cauchero and a Gamonal

Abstract

At the turn of the 19th and 20th century, Amazonia provided the industrialized world with natural rubbers, caoutchouc (Castilla elastica) and sharinga (Hevea brasiliensis), and in order to conduct these activities, commercial industry imposed non-cash payment mechanisms using intangible assets and credits. The majority of the workforce consisted of the native population, which was exploited: unpaid, driven away from their land, moved from place to place without consent and even sold like merchandise. Some ethnic communities reacted to this, as was the case with the Mashcos, who acted against Bernardo Perdiz, an owner of Spanish origins, who usurped his authority and, taking advantage of his dominant position, sued them in the Peruvian court of justice, although he was himself involved in human trafficking.