Diary of a Argentinian Revolution Leader

Return to Table of Contents for Argentina

Diary of a Revolutionary Leader
Dear Diary,

What is happening to this country of Argentina? So much has been occurring in order to strive for our independence from Spain… Many of the actions I’ve been acting on recently can relate back to my childhood. I find that I tend to over think upon some of the situations presented to me, for my studies were so strong as child. Moreover, because my family was so religious and devoted as Catholics, I look at things from a religious view too. Ever since the small pox changed my appearance, and not for the better, I am happy to have married María Guadalupe Cuenca in Bolivia in 1801. We had our first son, also Mariano, in 1805. Directly after his birth, in 1806-1807 I found myself among the resistance leaders against the British, who attempted to take Buenos Aires. This became known as the battle of Trafalagar, where our loyalty to Spain became questioned. Later on in 1810, rumor hit Buenos Aires that that the Ferdinand VII the kind of Spain, had been captured by Napoleon Bonaparte, whom then switched the throne with the new King, Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother. This is where the madness began, after this swap of the throne, all hell was let loose. Joseph or, “Bottle Joe” as we called him was a terrible ruler for he cannot stop drinking. He is quite the alcoholic and ruining our lives because of his problem.

What began on May 18th, deeply angered Buenos Aires. A group of local citizens, some of which my dear friends, demanded a town council from Spanish Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros de la Torre. These citizens fought for what they wanted, and granted their meeting on May 22nd. By May 24th, a junta took rule. This group consisted of Cisneros, Creole leader Juan José Castelli and military commander Cornelio Saavedra. My fellow citizens and I wanted nothing to do with Viceroy Cisneros, or his input in our new and improved government. In order to do this, our original junta had to be broken up and a new one was formed with Saavedra as president. Myself and Dr. Juan José Paso were announced secretaries, and committee members Dr. Manuel Alberti, Miguel de Azcuénaga, Dr. Manuel Belgrano, Dr. Juan José Castelli, Domingo Matheu and Juan Larrea, most of whom were creoles and patriots. The junta was rulers of Buenos Aires until Spain got a hold of its country. The junta lasted until December, 1810, when it was replaced by another one. This has been a long and treacherous battle, but it’s a step Argentina needs to take to win it’s independence from Spain.

Always, Mariano Moreno.

Bibliography: About.com: Latin American History

Return to Main Table of Contents