Lautaro, Logia de

Logia de Lautaro, a lodge founded in Buenos Aires in 1812 by José de San Martín, Carlos María de Alvear, and José Matías Zapiola, following the models of the lodges of Spain and England. Its most important goal was to spread the idea of independence, and many of the sympathizers of independence belonged to it. A highly disciplined political pressure group, the Lautaro Lodge helped revitalize the Sociedad Patriótica of Buenos Aires. In October 1812, the Lautarianos played a key role in the overthrow of the first triumvirate (then the executive body of Argentina), of which Juan Martín de Pueyrredón was a member. However, dissension soon appeared, and the lodge had to be reorganized in 1815. The lodge was instrumental in the mobilization of resources for San Martín when he was preparing the expedition to liberate Chile. After San Martín left, and without his influence, dissension arose once again, and the lodge became more and more involved in the intricate web of the Argentine politics of the period. By 1820 it had lost practically all of its influence.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Antonio R. Zúñiga, La Logia "Lautaro" y la independencia de América (1922).

Ricardo Rojas, San Martín: Knight of the Andes, translated by Herschel Brickell and Carlos Videla (1945).

Ricardo Piccirilli, San Martín y la Logia Lautaro: Conferencia pronunciada el 13 de agosto de 1958 (1958).

Jaime Eyzaguirre, La Logia Lautariana y otros estudios sobre la independencia (1972).

Additional Bibliography

Maguire, Patricio José, and Patricio José Maguire. La masonería y la emancipación del Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Editorial Santiago Apóstol, 2000.

                                            Juan Manuel PÉ rez