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This article deals with the social behaviour of the Chilean plebe in the run-up to Independence. The attention is focussed on the examination of judiciary papers, criminal records and travelers' accounts, aiming at reconstructing the social upheaval caused by the wave of criminal activities developed by the mob while the ruling classes were facing the Constitutional crisis. We postulate that the Chilean plebeyos, a product of deep rooted frontier mestizaje, developed their own mentality and culture - marked by transgressions, arrogance and social autonomy - which they defended when they came under patrician threat. This work is presented as a preliminary attempt to look into the unknown history of the people "without voice and without memory" that has been omitted from official and traditional Chilean historical accounts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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