Abstract
The War for Independence brought about popular mobilization in northern Argentina. As the war was waged in the provinces of Salta and Jujuy, rural population enlisted in militia battalions since 1814. Militia regulations in the Rio de la Plata area called for the extension of military jurisdiction (fuero) to all soldiers as well as for compensation when mobilized for combat. Popular mobilization in Northern Rio de la Plata posed a threat to elite power as it challenged long-held hierarchies and patterns of social deference dating from colonial times. Actions such as intimidation, seizure of livestock, and land occupations were commonly taken by gauchos and regarded by them as acts of social justice. The elite regarded them as arrogant and violent acts aimed at curtailing their power and strip them from their property and power.
Keywords
War; Rural Mobilization; Militia; Fuero; Tenancy; Gauchos