Initial Conquest

    Juan Díaz de Solís was a Portuguese explorer who first landed in Argentina in 1516 and claimed the land for Spain. He unveiled the mystery over the land of Argentina to latter conquerers.(B)
    Due to its lack of mineral wealth, Spaniards overlooked Argentina in the first place during the colonial period. However, the city of Buenos Aires grew rapidly because British established illegal trade between Argentina and Brazil. Spain was worried that Britain would exert total control over trade and collect more taxes if its power continued to expand.(D)
    Two main streams of Spanish colonists settled in Argentina. One was the Spaniards who came from Peru and Chile by crossing over the Andes, and occupied the areas along the Andes. The other came from Europe (Spain, France, Britain, Italy and Germany) and settled in Buenos Aires.(C) In 1600s, Spain’s economy declined, so Spain had to sell a large portion of land in Argentina. The Spanish people who were born in Latin America and rich Europeans bought the land from Spain and built numerous estates. Spanish government kept interfering in wealthy landowners’ business. Spain imposed high taxes on landowners, but they wanted to control the trade and keep their wealth. The resentment against Spanish ruling increased and people wanted to establish their own government.(B)

Colonial Latin America

The Colonial Experience

    Colonists of the interior relied on grazing livestock on the plains and home manufactures. They removed themselves from the authority in Buenos Aires and developed their own self-sufficient culture. On the contrary, colonists in Buenos Aires sought to recreate European living conditions. They controlled the trade and established their own government. The nobility and the clergy still maintained power and privileges.(C)

    Argentina became independent with great loss of territory and conflict among social groups. There was strife on controlling large estates and taxes in Buenos Aires; people of interior provinces demanded a federal government and a national capital outside Buenos Aires. A constitution of 1853 provided Argentine people with a federal government after the overthrow of the brutal leader Juan Manuel de Rosas in 1835. Bartolomé Mitre, the first constitutional president was in charge in 1861.(C)

    The leaders of Buenos Aires promoted agricultural development and encouraged Europeans to immigrate and farm the land in Argentina. Argentina remained agrarian and imported all manufactured goods that it needed from Europe. In the late 19^th century, Argentina developed better means of production due to the demand for meat of better quality. However, the political and economic power was still in a small number of planters, cattle raisers and merchants. Because of massive European immigration and rapid growth of non-Argentine population, the Radical Party became the most popular party among the immigrants in order to maintain political equality. And the Radical Party is still influential up to the present day.(C)

    Spaniards brought their own language – Spanish, culture, religion and technology to Argentina during the colonial period. Later when European immigrants came to reside, they brought more diverse cultural and technological change to Argentina.(C)

Independence

    Argentina struggled with its independence from the beginning of 19th century to 1816.(A)
    In 1806 and 1807, British expeditions conducted wars and settled in Buenos Aires. However, the brave creoles allied and defeated the British. On May 22^nd, 1810, an open council of leading citizens were in a session discussing whether a Viceroy who represented no government or the constituted authorities of Buenos Aires should be the authority. On May 25^th, the people of Buenos Aires waited outside the city hall demanding that “the people want to know what is being discussed”. On the same day, the open council of leading citizens eventually announced that Colonel Saavedra was the new president with a new acting administration, and the current government exiled Viceroy to the Canary Islands.(A)

The city hall where the current government decided to overthrow Viceroy

On May 25^th, 1810, Argentina declared its independence. However, the King of Spain refused to acknowledge the declaration.(B) The first declaration of independence failed, and the people of River Plate couldn’t decide which political side they should stand by.(A)
    While the theoretical-minded politicians argued, a famous liberator José de San Martín led the soldiers of revolution to exterminate the Spaniards. After San Martín heard about the events in Buenos Aires, he immediately left France for home. He founded a secret patriotic society, the Logia Lautaro, with General Carlos de Alvear. This military group forced the government to do military expedient. Then San Martín set up headquarters in El Retiro (a city next to Buenos Aires) and established a school to teach military tactics and disciplines to forge an army that would win the independence. In 1813, San Martín heard that a Spanish expedition had slipped past the city bound of Buenos Aires, heading for San Lorenzo. He chose 120 grenadiers at once and gave the Spaniards a sound attack. After the battle, the grenadiers routed the Spaniards. San Martín later waged several wars against the Spanish and became well-known for liberating South America from Spanish rule.(A)

José de San Martín

    Argentina declared its official independence on July 9^th, 1816, and the government named Argentina the United Provinces of the River Plate.(B)

Map of Argentina