Every Day Is Special: June 19 – Artigas Day in Uruguay

June 19 – Artigas Day in Uruguay

Posted on June 19, 2019

The Father of Uruguayan Nationhood - one of Uruguay's heroes - was born in the Montevideo (in what is now Uruguay) on this date in 1764.

José Gervasio Artigas de Arnal was supposed to study religion in college (according to his parents), but instead he became a gaucho (cowboy) and later a cattle smuggler!

Artigas was pardoned for his smuggling if he would serve in the military. At the time, "the military" meant Spain's army in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata (Colonial Argentina). At the time, Spain was fighting Britain - and that fight spread farther than Europe, to the New World - specifically to the Caribbean and to Colonial Argentina.

Artigas was supposed to lead his unit in patrols along the Brazilian border, but he requested to become part of the army rushing to Buenos Aires to drive the British invaders out. His request was granted, and the Spanish forces did defeat the Brits and liberate Buenos Aires.

At that point, Artigas was supposed to return to his birthplace, Montevideo, and tell the Spanish governor of the battle success - but the Brits attacked Montevideo and took him prisoner!

Artigas managed to escape. He organized groups of gauchos and began a guerrilla war against the Britsh. A guerrilla war is when a small group of soldiers uses hit-and-run strategies like ambushes, raids, and sabotage in order to defeat a larger invading army. When the British forces were finally defeated and left Montevideo, Artigas was promoted.

But soon the people of South America didn't want to be ruled by far-away Spain - especially since the Spanish king had been captured, and Spain was being ruled by the French Joseph Bonaparte! Buenos Aires managed to break away from Spain and declared its independence...but the Spanish (French) government declared Buenos Aires a rogue city and made Montevideo its new colonial capital.

So now the formerly Spanish soldier Artigas worked against Spain! It was Artigas vs. the Spanish viceroy, the people of South America against the royalists.

Artigas led those who sought independence to surround Montevideo and start a siege. He was helped by forces from an independent Buenos Aires. The Spanish viceroy sent several men to kill Artigas, but he kept eluding them. In an effort to break the siege, the viceroy requested help from Brazil, and when a fresh army of 5,000 soldiers entered the fray against the forces for independence, the leader of the Buenos Aires army made a truce that left Spain in charge of Montevideo and the rest of eastern Argentina.

Artigas and his army felt angry and betrayed by the deal. I guess others agreed with him, because when Artigas left the area (then called Banda Oriental, or Eastern Band), his supporters followed him. It was such a massive group leaving the area, it was called the Oriental exodus.

The governor (or "Supreme Director") of Argentina, in Buenos Aires, put a reward on his capture - dead or alive. Some royalists wanted to take advantage of the suddenly negative relationship between Artigas and the independent Argentinian government. They tried to get Artigas to join them against Buenos Aires. But Artigas wouldn't betray even those who had betrayed him.

The Supreme Director sent several armies to capture and execute Artigas, but such was his principled leadership, they mutinied against the Supreme Director and instead joined the Orientals and served under Artigas!

Eventually, independent Argentina broke the truce with the Spanish. They managed to defeat Spain and drive Spanish forces out of Montevideo. What did they do then? Did the Argentinians try to bury the hatchet with Artigas? Did they turn over Montevideo to the Orientals who used to be allies in the quest for independence?

Yes...it seemed that they did!

Did you notice that I used the word "seemed"? Actually, it was a trap. The Argentinians lured Artigas to Montevideo with the promise that they would turn the city over to the Orientals, but then the Argentinians launched a surprise attack on them instead. Artigas managed - once again - to escape.

Artigas kept organizing and agitating and was able to wrest control of Montevideo from the Argentinian forces. Finally!! Victory and independence for what would become Uruguay!!!!

But just a year later, Portugal invaded from Brazil. Sigh. It turns out that everyone was worried about Artigas. He was popular, principled, and courageous. He had managed to escape captivity and traps, elude assassins and turn armies. So he was, pretty much, scary to those who ruled Spain, Portugal, Colonial Brazil, and independent Argentina.

Artigas ended up in Paraguay, in exile. He died at age 86 - and it may be apocryphal, but it's said that, when he was near death, he asked to be lifted onto a horse's saddle so that he could die in the saddle, as a gaucho.