Internal Passports, Counterfeiting, and Subversive Practices in Early Postcolonial Peru

Abstract

Abstract Counterfeit identity papers have accompanied many Peruvians over the past two centuries as they moved within their own country. Through these documents, they have embraced numerous personalities and eluded strict controls to the dismay of policymakers and experts who envisioned building a robust surveillance system based on identity cards. This article analyzes counterfeiting as a set of objects, practices, and knowledge that emerged in the aftermath of the Wars of Independence during the transition to an autonomous Republic. Committed to establishing social and political order in this chaotic scenario, Peruvian authorities relied on low-tech devices known as internal passports to regulate mobility within the convoluted territory. Nonetheless, internal passports proved more fragile and less effective than expected. Peruvians rapidly learned to produce their own internal passports or to adulterate their information, developing a particular expertise that enabled them to navigate the nascent biometric system. Forged internal passports thus illustrate the enduring tensions between governments, citizens, and technology, as well as early efforts of individuals to regain control of their personal data.