Popular War

Gauchos and the Challenge to Elite Power in Northern Rio de la Plata in the Revolutionary Period

Abstract

The War for Independence brought about popular mobilization in northern
Argentina. As the war was waged in the provinces of Salta and Jujuy, rural
population enlisted in militia battalions since 1814. Militia regulations
in the Rio de la Plata area called for the extension of military jurisdiction
(fuero) to all soldiers as well as for compensation when mobilized for
combat. Popular mobilization in Northern Rio de la Plata posed a threat to
elite power as it challenged long-held hierarchies and patterns of social
deference dating from colonial times. Actions such as intimidation, seizure
of livestock, and land occupations were commonly taken by gauchos and
regarded by them as acts of social justice. The elite regarded them as
arrogant and violent acts aimed at curtailing their power and strip them
from their property and power.