Archivo Histórico del Juzgado del Circuito de Istmina

This collection contains digital copies of legal files that are part of the Istmina Circuit Court Archive, in the Colombian department of Chocó. The digital collection is made up of civil and criminal cases initiated and judged between 1860 and 1930 (the majority of the documents were produced after 1886, but a few are dated before this year). In the 19th century, this regional court was known as the San Juan District Court, and was based in Nóvita. In the 20th century it was renamed the District Court of San Juan, and the Circuit Court moved its offices and archives to Istmina. This court had jurisdiction over the San Juan and Baudó riversheds, including the municipalities of Tadó, Istmina, Condoto, Nóvita, Sipí, Cuellar and Baudó. Lawsuits documented in the collection concern mining and agricultural properties, debt collection, crimes against the public treasury, robbery, fraud, fights between neighbors, injuries, homicides, family lawsuits, inheritance and sexual crimes. In general, the files of these legal cases include the charges filed, summaries of evidence, defense arguments, conclusions and sentences rendered. Parties involved in these legal cases include Afro-descendant and indigenous peasants, most of whom also practice artisanal mining, members of the local elite, regional merchants, national investors, international mining companies, public officials, and local lawyers. The digital archive is divided into two series: (1) Mining and Family and (2) General. Materials are grouped by boxes that correspond to specific years. The documents are in Spanish, some by handwritten and others composed on a typewriter. Almost all are on legal-size sheets of paper. They are in varying degrees of preservation and readability. While they are in various stages of deterioration, most are still legible enough to be examined. Esta colección contiene copias digitales de expedientes legales que hacen parte del Archivo del Circuito Judicial de Istmina, en el departamento colombiano de Chocó. La colección digital se compone de causas civiles y criminales iniciadas y juzgadas entre 1860 y 1930 (Aunque la mayoría de docuemntos fueron producidos después de 1886, algunos de ellos están fechados en años previos). En el siglo XIX, esta corte regional se conoció como Juzgado del Distrito de San Juan con sede en Nóvita, y en el siglo XX pasó a llamarse Juzgado del Circuito de Istmina y trasladó sus oficinas y archivo a esta ciudad. Esta corte ejerció jurisdicción sobre las cuencas de los ríos San Juan y Baudó, incluyendo los municipios de Tadó, Istmina, Condoto, Nóvita, Sipí, Cuellar y Baudó. Entre los casos juzgados, se destacan pleitos por propiedades mineras y agrícolas, cobro de deudas, delitos contra el tesoro público, robo, estafa, riñas entre vecinos, heridas, homicidio, pleitos familiares, sucesiones y crímenes sexuales. En general, los expedientes de estos casos legales incluyen los cargos presentados, resúmenes de pruebas, argumentos de defensa, conclusiones y sentencias dictadas. Entre las personas involucradas en estos casos legales encontramos campesinos y pequeños mineros afrodescendientes e indígenas, miembros de la élite local, comerciantes regionales, inversionistas nacionales, empresas mineras internacionales, funcionarios públicos, y abogados locales. El archivo digital está dividido en dos series: (1) Minería y Familia y (2) General, y los materiales están agrupados en cajas que corresponden a años específicos. Los documentos están escritos en español, algunos a mano y otros a máquina de escribir, casi siempre en hojas de papel de tamaño oficio. Se encuentran en distintos grados de conservación y legibilidad. Aunque están en varios grados de deterioro, la mayoría sí se logran leer. Extent: Two series containing 37 boxes of case files, handwritten. Custodial history: The legal files and other documents that make up this archive were produced by the same Court in which they are now held. In the second half of the 19th century, it was known as the San Juan District Court, with its seat in the town of Nóvita on the Tamaná river. It functioned as lower-level court and depended on the Higher Court of Cauca located in Buga, which was created in 1849. In the first decade of the 20th century, this lower Court moved to Istmina, on the San Juan River, and began to be called the Circuit Court of Istmina. At this point it became an Appellate Court that reviewed judgments promulgated by municipal courts. It was by this point, in turn, dependent on the Higher Court of Cali. With the creation of the Istmina Circuit Court, part of the Novita archive was also transferred to this city. In the second decade of the 20th century, the Circuit Court was divided into the First Court and the Second Court of the Istmina Circuit. The two courts were empowered to judge both civil and criminal cases. Today (2023), the Istmina Courthouse includes several Circuit Courts (civil, criminal, family) and several Municipal Courts (civil, criminal, family, labor). All of these Courts share responsibility for the same archive, where the historical collection that we refer to here is located. Arrangement: The Istmina Circuit Court Archive is mainly made up of legal files carried out by this regional court and also documents related to the administration of the Court's offices, such as correspondence received and correspondence sent, the hiring of personnel and the purchase of supplies. The archive is organized in two series and is sorted into boxes and folders. The series are: (1) Mining and Family and (2) General History. Each series contains parallel numbered cartons. The name of the boxes corresponds to the range of years in which the stored documents were produced (for example, “Mining and Family 1901-1905” or “General History 1916-1920”). The boxes that store documents produced between 1860 and 1930 also include acid-free folders for better preservation of the paper. Folders are numbered within each box. Inside the folders and boxes, the files and documents are identified with a small sheet of paper that notes basic information such as the parties involved in the case, type of case, the year the process began, and places mentioned. Prior to this process of sorting and arrangement, the documents were piled in the Courthouse, stored in sacks and stacked one on top of the other without any classification or organization system. Between 2021 and 2023, with the court’s permission, Daniel Varela and Angélica Agualimpia, examined the materials stored in the sacks—identifying the individual files, classifying them by subject and by year begun, and organizing and storing them in two series, using the cardboard boxes and folders. Original institution reference: Archivo Histórico del Juzgado del Circuito de Istmina.