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Governor Ribera and the War of Oranges on Paraguay's Frontiers*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2015

Mark A. Frakes
Mark A. Frakes*
Affiliation:
Louisville, Kentucky
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Extract

The great economic and political changes in the Río de la Plata of the late 1700s penetrated not only Buenos Aires and the interior of present-day Argentina, but upriver the hitherto neglected province of Paraguay shared the reforms of the Intendant system and economic liberalization. Those changes, along with the expulsion of the Jesuits, produced a shift in the economy of this region from the Paraná-Tebicuary area to the northern frontier of that province. The impelling economic motive for that shift was the north's greater ability to meet the demand for Paraguay's primary export, yerba mate. By the 1780s, northern Paraguay experienced a greater exploitation of yerbales, both to the benefit of independent entrepreneurs and government revenues.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Americas , Volume 45 , Issue 4 , April 1989 , pp. 489 - 508
Copyright
Copyright © Academy of American Franciscan History 1989

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Footnotes

*

I wish to thank Dr. Jerry W. Cooney and Dr. Thomas L. Whigham for their aid and criticism on this article. My thanks to the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection of the University of Texas, and Inter-Library Loan of the University of Louisville for providing valuable sources.

References

1 For a discussion on the importance of yerba to the Paraguayan economy see Rivarola Paoli, Juan Bautista, La economía colonial (Asunción, 1986), pp. 329–352 Google Scholar; Garavaglia, Juan Carlos, Mercado interno y economía colonial (México, 1983), pp. 145–147,Google Scholar 367–379; and de Arréllaga, Rene Ferrer, Un siglo de expansión colonizadora: Los orígenes de Concepción (Asunción, 1985), pp. 13–19.Google Scholar

2 Ibid.; Juan Carlos Garavaglia, p. 145; Báez, Cecilio, “Paraguay y Bolivia: Derechos de Paraguay al Chaco Boreal,” Revista del Instituto Paraguayo, Tomo IV (1899), pp. 66–70.Google Scholar

3 Regarding boundary conflicts see Alden, Dauril, Royal Government in Colonial Brazil (Berkeley, 1968), pp. 83–115,Google Scholar 195–246; Ferrer de Arréllaga, pp. 13–19; Rivarola Paoli, pp. 168–169.

4 A brief account of the war may be found in Sierra, Vicente D., Historia de la Argentina (Buenos Aires, 1960), pp. 22–23.Google Scholar

5 Ibid. ; de Azara, Félix, Memoria sobre el estado rural del Río de la Plata en 1801 y otros informes (Buenos Aires, 1943), p. LXXIV.Google Scholar

6 Regarding the Intendant system see Lynch, John, Spanish Colonial Administration, 1782–1810. The Intendant System in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata (London, 1958), pp. 115,Google Scholar 297–298.

7 Azara, p. LXXIV; Governor Lázaro de Ribera to Commandante de Villa Real de la Concepción, Asunción, 12 July 1801, in Archivo Nacional de Asunción-Sección Histórica, Volume 185. Hereafter cited as ANA-SH 185; Governor Ribera to Viceroy Joaquín del Pino, Asunción, 19 July 1801 in ANA-SH 185.

8 Velázquez, Rafael Eladio, “Organización militar de la Gobernación y Capitanía General del Paraguay,” Memoria del Tercer Congreso Venezolano de Historia (Caracas, 1979) 3, pp. 448–449,Google Scholar 453–454; “Nueva reglamentación y ordenaza de milicias to Regimiento de Dragones de Tapúa,” 1791, in ANA-SH 156; “Pié de lista de las Compañías de Milicias de la Villa de Curuguatí,” 1793, ANA-SH 158; and Ribera to Real Hacienda del Paraguay, Asunción, 29 May 1802, in ANA-SH 186.

9 Governor Ribera to Viceroy Aviles, Asunción, 18 April 1801, in the Manuel Gondra Manuscript Collection, University of Texas (hereafter cited as MG), MG 2074m; and “Reglamento” for the militia of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, Buenos Aires, 14 January 1801, in Archivo Histórico de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Cedulario de la Real Audiencia de Buenos Aires (La Piata, 1938) III, pp. 81–129.

10 Cooney, Jerry W., “Bureaucrats, Growers, and Defense: The Royal Tobacco Monopoly of Paraguay,” unpublished manuscript, pp. 1,Google Scholar 10–11; the yerba industry also may have contributed to militia desertions. This is another component that deserves more research.

11 Lynch, p. 114; and José Espínola to Governor Ribera, Santa Rosa, 14 February 1801, in MG2074d.

12 Martínez, Marcelino Machuca, Mapas Históricos del Paraguay Gigante (Asunción, 1950), p. 25.Google Scholar

13 Report of the Real Hacienda del Paraguay for 1801 and 1802, Asunción, in Archivo General de Indias (Sevilla), Audiencia de Buenos Aires, legajo 454. Hereafter cited as AGI-BA 454.

14 Governor Ribera to Viceroy Joaquín del Pino, Asunción, 19 July 1801, in ANA-SH 185.

15 Ferrer de Arréllaga, pp. 15–23.

16 Juan José Gonzáles to Governor Ribera, Asunción, 14 July 1801, in ANA-SH 184; and Governor Ribera to Viceroy Pino, Asunción,’ 19 July 1801, in ANA-SH 185.

17 Governor Ribera to Viceroy Pino, Asunción, 19 July 1801, in ANA-SH 185.

18 de Azara, Félix, Viajes por la América meridional (Madrid, 1923) 1, pp. 102–103.Google Scholar

19 Governor Ribera to Commandante de Curuguatí aboard Nuestra Sumaca Señora del Carmen, Puerto de Xpitá, 2 August 1801, in ANA-SH 185.

20 Governor Ribera to Viceroy Pino aboard sumaca, Villa Real, 9 August 1801, in ANA-SH 185.

21 Governor Ribera to Asunción Cabildo, Borbón, 30 September 1801, in ANA-SH 185; and Governor Ribera to Viceroy Pino aboard sumaca, 29’; 31” latitude, 6 October 1801, in MG 1727b.

22 Franco, Ricardo, “Memoria Sobre os Uaicurus,” Revista do Institue Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro, Tomo 2,Google Scholar n.p., as cited in Filho, Virsilio Corrêa, As Ratas de Matto Grosso (Sao Paulo, 1925) 3, pp. 143–144.Google Scholar

23 Governor Ribera to Asunción Cabildo, Fuerte de Borbón, 30 September 1801, in ANA-SH 185.

24 Corrêa Filho, p. 145.

25 Junta of war aboard Nuestra Sumaca Señora del Carmen, Coimbra, 24 September 1801, in MG 1727d; and “Dictamen de los Capitanes y Prácticos” aboard Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Coimbra, 24 September 1801, in MG 1727c.

26 Governor Ribera to Asunción Cabildo, Borbón, 30 September 1801, in ANA-SH 185.

27 Governor Ribera to Viceroy Pino, Asunción, 19 January 1802, in ANA-SH 188; Corrêa Filho, pp. 145–146.

28 Ibid.; Report of the Real Hacienda del Paraguay for 1801 and 1802, Asunción, in AGI-BA 454.

29 Ibid.

30 Governor Ribera to Asunción Cabildo, Borbón, 30 September 1801, in ANA-SH 185.

31 Lastarria, Miguel, Colonias Orientales del Río Paraguay ó de la Plata, Madrid, 31 December 1804,Google Scholar in Valle Iberlucea, Enrique del, ed., Documentos Para la Historia Argentina (Buenos Aires, 1914), Tomo III, pp. 420–421.Google Scholar

32 Viceroy Pino to Commandante de Armas Interino del Paraguay, Buenos Aires, 30 September 1801; Miguel Antonio de Herrero, Commandante de Armas in absence of Ribera, to Factor of Real Renta José Gonzáles, Asunción, 17 September 1801; and Factor Juan José Gonzáles to Herrero, Asunción, 17 September 1801, all in AGI-BA 427.

33 Herrero to Viceroy Pino, Asunción, 13 October 1801, in ANA-SH 185.

34 Governor Ribera to Viceroy Pino, Asunción, 16 October 1801, in ANA-SH 185.

35 Proclamation by Governor Ribera, Asunción, 14 December 1801, in ANA-SH 184.

36 Governor Ribera to Commandante de Yquamandiyú, Asunción, 16 October 1801, in ANA-SH 185; Governor Ribera to Viceroy Pino, Asunción, 19 November 1801, in ANA-SH 185; José Espínola to Governor Ribera, San Carlos, 13 December 1801, in ANA-SH 183; and José Espínola to Governor Ribera, San Carlos, 17 December 1801, in ANA-SH 183.

37 Governor Ribera to Commandante de Villa Real, Asunción, 30 November 1801, in ANA-SH 185.

38 Governor Ribera to Commandante de Villa Real, Asunción, 5 January 1802, in ANA-SH 188; Governor Ribera to Commandante de Villa Real, Asunción, 30 December 1801, in ANA-SH 185; and Ricardo Franco, Memoria, as cited in Corrêa Filho, p. 152.

39 Ricardo Franco to Caetano Pinto, Miranda, 21 January 1802, and Caetano Pinto to Rodrigo de Souza Coutinho, 2 December 1801; as cited in Corrêa Filho, pp. 147–152. Yegros later played a significant role in Paraguay’s struggle for independence.

40 Governor Ribera to Commandante Interino de Villa Real José Teodoro Fernández temporarily replacing Juan Valeriano de Zevallos, Asunción, 8 January 1802, in ANA-SH 188.

41 Governor Ribera to Señor Commandante de Villa Real, Asunción, 13 January 1802, in ANA-SH 188.

42 El Marqués de Sobremonte, subinspector general del Virreinato de la Plata, to Virrey D. Joaquín del Pino, Buenos Aires, 9 August 1802, in Beverina, Juan, El virreinato de las provincias del Río de la Plata: Su organización militar (Buenos Aires, 1935), pp. 437–443 Google Scholar; and “Cabildo of Asunción to Governor Intendant concerning the plan of Francisco de Pino to create a regiment of ‘carabinos,’” Asunción, 28 May 1802, in MG 201 le.

43 García Rodrigues Francia to Governor Ribera, Asunción, 7 May 1803, in MG 51; and García Rodrigues Francia to Governor Ribera, Asunción, 22 June 1803, in MG 52.