Caudillos in Spanish America 1800–1850
John Lynch
Abstract
The caudillo of Spanish America was both regional chieftain and, in the turbulent years of the early nineteenth century, national leader. His power base rested on ownership of land and control of armed bands. He was the rival of constitutional rulers and the precursor of modern dictators. His is a dominant figure in Latin American history. This book explores the changing perception of the caudillo — bandit chief, guerrilla leader, republican hero — and examines his multi-faceted role as regional strongman, war leader, landowner, distributor of patronage, and the ‘necessary gendarme’ who mainta ... More
The caudillo of Spanish America was both regional chieftain and, in the turbulent years of the early nineteenth century, national leader. His power base rested on ownership of land and control of armed bands. He was the rival of constitutional rulers and the precursor of modern dictators. His is a dominant figure in Latin American history. This book explores the changing perception of the caudillo — bandit chief, guerrilla leader, republican hero — and examines his multi-faceted role as regional strongman, war leader, landowner, distributor of patronage, and the ‘necessary gendarme’ who maintained social order. It traces the origins and development of the caudillo tradition, and sets it in its contemporary context. Its scholarly analysis of this central theme in the history of Spanish America is underpinned by detailed case-studies of four major caudillos: Juan Manuel de Rosas (Argentina), José Antonio Páez (Venezuela), Antonio López de Santa Anna (Mexico), and Rafael Carrera (Guatemala). This is an important contribution to our understanding of political and social structures during the formative period of the nation-state in Spanish America.
Keywords:
caudillo,
Latin America,
social order,
Spanish America,
social structures,
landowners,
Juan Manuel de Rosas,
José Antonio Páez,
Antonio López de Santa Anna,
Rafael Carrera
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 1992 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780198211358 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: October 2011 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198211358.001.0001 |
