“Solo Dios sabe que ellos no saben lo que hacen”: an analysis of criminal madness in 1809 and 1822

Abstract

Madmen have always been part of the common landscape of societies, their figure has always been present in the streets, houses, markets and other public spaces. These subjects have been recognized for their actions dissimilar to good repute and morality, mostly when they have been involved in criminal acts. The objective of this article is to offer the reader the social perception of the witnesses who were present in the criminal acts of Roque Londoño and Lucía Ardila, two madmen belonging to the parish of La Mesa and the city of Velez in the years 1809 and 1822. In addition, throughout the work will be analyzed the social vision of madness during the eighteenth century and the early nineteenth, as well as the concept of crime, this will have the intention of knowing the union that existed between these two aspects that would unleash a deep stigmatization on the mad subjects.