Sylvia Sellers-García. Distance and Documents at the Spanish Empire's Periphery.

A case of witchcraft accusations in colonial Guatemala reveals that notions of distance and document circulation challenge the traditional center-periphery framework. Sylvia Sellers-García demonstrates that distances, perceived as time-space intervals connecting hierarchically organized places, shaped both the content and form of administrative documents exchanged between Guatemala and Spain. This historical context redefines peripherality by grounding it in the practices of document creation, travel, and preservation. The study is based on extensive archival research across multiple institutions, including the Archivo General de Indias in Seville.

Barrera-Osorio, A. (2014). Sylvia Sellers-García. Distance and Documents at the Spanish Empire’s Periphery. The American Historical Review, 119(5), 1744–1745. https://doi.org/10.1093/ahr/119.5.1744