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Palabras clave Alteridad; siglo XVIII; canoas; navegación; Patagonia Abstract The second half of the Enlightened Century brought about a series of expeditionary initiatives to the most remote and unknown areas of America, in order to gather all kinds of information of high strategic value for the conservation of the Spanish overseas domains. During this period, the two expeditions of Antonio de Córdoba to the Strait of Magellan took place (1785 and 1789), whose experiences and testimonies are the subject of analysis in this research. In this sense, based on the study of the large amount of documentation generated by the aforementioned companies, using the ethnohistorical method and a marked nautical perspective, this article shows the Castilian perception regarding the life and customs of the other Austral, its close relationship with the aquatic environment and the characteristics of the boats used in their daily navigation through the cold waters of Tierra del Fuego. Dentro de este marco referencial, la Secretaría de Marina proyectó una expedición multidisciplinar, que debía arrojar información de primer orden y distinta índole para ayudar a un imperio hispánico policéntrico y de difícil hilazón.