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Can disinformation, rumor, and gossip be considered tools for counter-knowledge and resistance that explain multiple conflicts before the courts in the Spanish American colonial world? This research aims to make a general proposal for the study of these concepts and how to address them in land lawsuits in Mexico in the later 18th century. We focus on a group of mulattoes and Indians who used these mechanisms at court. At first, they competed and then they joined forces to form themselves a village. Nevertheless, this political project will get more complicated when the opposite party made up a false riot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the political and social relationships between Spanish colonists and Opata Indians in early 19th century Sonora, México. The author focuses on the role of Spaniard Juan de Gándara in the incorporation of the Opata Indians into Mexican Hispanic society. He considers the social conditions of Indians in the late 18th century and presents biographical information about Juan de Gándara, including mention of his appointment as mayor of Sonora. He also reflects on the Opata Indians' understanding of their contribution to colonial society and their notions of social reciprocity,