Bustos, Juan Bautista (1779–1830)

Bustos, an Argentinean military man and politician, was a central figure in the Rio Plata revolutionary armies during the wars of independence and the civil wars of the first half of the nineteenth century. Born in Santa María de Punilla on 29 August 1779, he played an important role in the wars of independence. He served in the military campaigns of the Peruvian highlands under the command of General Manuel Belgrano, and as the head of the Northern Army High Command, he rose up against the central government of the United Provinces in Arequito in January 1820. At that time he went to the province of Córdoba and in March had himself appointed governor, a position he held until 1829, when he was defeated by the troops of José María Paz in the Battle of San Roque in April and in La Tablada in June. Shortly after his defeat, he withdrew to Santa Fe, where he died two years later, on 18 September 1930. The role he played in these events has led historians to consider him a classic example of caudillismo (leadership by a strong charismatic leader) in the Rio Plata region in the first half of the nineteenth century. However, it is also worth emphasizing the importance of his legislative work, which includes the creation of the School Protection Board, reforms made to the university course of studies, the reorganization of border militias, and the legal ordering of trade and commerce.

See alsoCaudillismo, Caudillo; Wars of Independence, South America.

                                     Pablo Buchbinder