SOBRE LAS FUGAS REALIZADAS EN EL PRESIDIO DE SAN JUAN DE ULÚA DURANTE LA SEGUNDA MITAD DEL SIGLO XVIII

Las fugas como acto de resistencia en la cárcel de San Juan de Ulúa

Abstract

The San Juan de Ulúa prison, located in the port of Veracruz, was one of the most emblematic prison institutions of the viceroyalty of New Spain. During the second half of the 18th century it was conceived as a safe space, but its reputation contrasts with historical records: multiple escapes and desertions that challenged the official narrative. The present investigation analyzes these escapes as acts of resistance against prison power, as evidence of the structural and administrative failures of the prison.

      To do this, a theoretical framework was used based on the concepts developed by Michel Foucault in Microphysics of Power, Discipline and Punish, and The Abnormals, which allow us to interpret some of the dynamics of power and resistance in the prison context. Through the analysis of primary and secondary sources, this research seeks not only to question the effectiveness of the New Spain prison system, but also to reflect on the social and political implications of these escapes.