CUERPO, JUSTICIA Y SENTIRES EN UN LITIGIO DE ESCLAVOS: MARTINA FONTECILLA Y MARÍA IGNACIA FONTECILLA, CHILE, 1799

This article studies a 1799 legal case in Chile, in which the enslaved woman Martina Fontecilla denounced her mistress for mistreatment, to explore the role of emotions and the body in colonial justice. It posits that enslaved people were not passive subjects, but rather actors who utilized the courts as a tool for resistance and the defense of honor. Through the analysis of judicial documents, gestures, words, and wounds are examined as emotional and physical evidence. Justice is understood not only as an institution but as a lived experience. This work engages with recent historiography on emotions, the body, and slavery, revealing the tensions between laws and their application in daily practice.