Doña Lorenza had to burn in the deep end:

construction of memory, social control and disciplining in the writing of Bernardo Frías

Abstract

The death, burial and subsequent desecration of the tomb of Doña Lorenza de la Cámara, a woman belonging to the elite of Salta in the 18th century, are rescued from oblivion by Bernardo Frías, whose narrations culminate with the rumor of having seen her with the Devil dancing in the Salamanca. What is striking is the contrast between the historical sources and the construction of the story by the author himself, since the wills and testamentary of Lorenza have little or nothing in common with the narration made by him a century later in his "Tradiciones Históricas" (Historical Traditions). In this sense, it is interesting to understand how Bernardo Frías uses the death of Doña Lorenza and for what purpose; why is it a death worthy of memory?

Frias' writing about the moments after Lorenza's death is not developed in an evolutionary way by the author's whim and only as a mere literary resource, but as a way of disciplining/sanctioning Lorenza's body and soul, projecting, at the same time, this disciplining on the women of his time by installing a "vigilance without watchmen" whose purpose is to prevent and "channel" improper behaviors and keep this segment of the population under control.

ARK CAICYT: https://id.caicyt.gov.ar/ark:/s16688090/cyiua66vt