This study shows the importance of indigenous communities by analyzing judicial and legislative documents involving indigenous tribute and indigenous strategies used in negotiations in the province of Córdoba, Argentina, during the late colonial period (1782-1810) and the wars of independence (1810-1820). It examines the economic and socio-political situations that set the relationship between local authorities and indigenous groups in Córdoba. This work combines top-down and bottom-up perspectives to showcase the understanding of indios' responses to these motivations. The analysis of indigenous tribute revealed each level of authority and indios' responses to the motivations behind these payments. How the indios responded to tribute, whether through absence, violence, or attempts at exemptions from paying these taxes, shows the agency enacted by the indios and their participation as historical actors. Their responses also show how they connected with their identities and placements within the social hierarchy. The analysis of indigenous strategies used in negotiations demonstrates the indios’s capacity to negotiate their position in Spanish society during the wars of independence along with their first hand participation since they are representing themselves in court. Overall, this study gives indigenous voices a place in Argentine history from 1782 to 1820 by showing that they were aware of their situation and could enact a certain level of agency against the oppression they were experiencing.